Press Release
May 09, 2024
- Water & Soil
Release of the marine plastic litter mapping database “Atlas of Ocean Microplastics (AOMI)”
- The Ministry of the Environment (MOE), Japan, released a marine plastic litter mapping database named the Atlas of Ocean Microplastics (AOMI), which contains ocean surface microplastic monitoring data provided by researchers, institutions, and governments worldwide and provides 2D maps of microplastic distribution and monitoring locations.
- The datasets contained in the AOMI are registered as comparable data in line with the “Guidelines for Harmonizing Ocean Surface Microplastic Monitoring Methods” published by the MOE Japan in 2019. They contribute to improving data comparability, accumulating further data sets, and developing research networks for understanding the status of global plastic pollution.
- Additionally, comparable and easy-to-understand 2D maps provided by the AOMI are being utilized by policymakers, researchers, the general public, and all stakeholders.
- The MOE Japan will continue to contribute to implementing effective countermeasures against plastic pollution through encouraging further data accumulation and utilization.
Please access AOMI via the link below:
https://aomi.env.go.jp/
■ Background
Marine litter, including plastic, is a global challenge. Microplastic pollution of the marine environment is recognized as a serious international issue; therefore, determining the current distribution and quantity of ocean microplastics is an urgent task. This is important for policymaking and implementation based on concrete scientific knowledge. Microplastic monitoring is performed by many institutions worldwide using various methods. However, different sampling and analytical methods are used depending on the purpose of the survey in each country and research institution; hence, there is a fundamental lack of comparability among currently available data.
At the G7 Elmau Summit in 2015, “supporting the initiation of a harmonized global marine litter monitoring effort and the standardization of methods, data, and evaluation” was listed as one of the priority actions in the annex to the G7 2015 declarations. Following the summit, it was agreed in November 2015 that Japan would play a leading role in standardizing and harmonizing monitoring methodologies for ocean microplastics. In May 2019, the MOE Japan published the first version of the "Guidelines for Harmonizing Ocean Surface Microplastic Monitoring Methods", based on comparison studies of sampling and analysis methods through demonstration projects and discussions at an international expert meeting.
By applying these guidelines, the comparability of monitoring data on ocean surface microplastics can be improved. However, global monitoring data have not yet been compiled in a comparable manner. Therefore, Japan proposed a new global monitoring data-sharing system at the G20 Workshop held by the MOE Japan in September 2020.
The MOE Japan has worked to develop a marine plastic litter mapping database based on expert opinions from the International Expert Meeting on Marine Plastic Litter Monitoring Data Sharing Project.
Based on the opinions of international experts, the MOE Japan has developed and released a database system called the Atlas of Ocean Microplastics (AOMI), which contains monitoring data on ocean surface microplastics* from researchers, institutions, and governments around the world and provides the collected data with 2D maps of sampling locations and microplastic distribution.
* The AOMI mainly covers data on microplastics with a particle size greater than 330 µm.
At the G7 Elmau Summit in 2015, “supporting the initiation of a harmonized global marine litter monitoring effort and the standardization of methods, data, and evaluation” was listed as one of the priority actions in the annex to the G7 2015 declarations. Following the summit, it was agreed in November 2015 that Japan would play a leading role in standardizing and harmonizing monitoring methodologies for ocean microplastics. In May 2019, the MOE Japan published the first version of the "Guidelines for Harmonizing Ocean Surface Microplastic Monitoring Methods", based on comparison studies of sampling and analysis methods through demonstration projects and discussions at an international expert meeting.
By applying these guidelines, the comparability of monitoring data on ocean surface microplastics can be improved. However, global monitoring data have not yet been compiled in a comparable manner. Therefore, Japan proposed a new global monitoring data-sharing system at the G20 Workshop held by the MOE Japan in September 2020.
The MOE Japan has worked to develop a marine plastic litter mapping database based on expert opinions from the International Expert Meeting on Marine Plastic Litter Monitoring Data Sharing Project.
Based on the opinions of international experts, the MOE Japan has developed and released a database system called the Atlas of Ocean Microplastics (AOMI), which contains monitoring data on ocean surface microplastics* from researchers, institutions, and governments around the world and provides the collected data with 2D maps of sampling locations and microplastic distribution.
* The AOMI mainly covers data on microplastics with a particle size greater than 330 µm.
■ Key features of AOMI
Researchers, institutions, and governments worldwide have been invited to provide monitoring data on ocean surface microplastics to the AOMI. The data then go through quality control, such as error checks, and are registered as comparable data in line with the “Guidelines for Harmonizing Ocean Surface Microplastic Monitoring Methods” published by the MOE Japan in 2019. The datasets, together with the 2D maps created based on these datasets, were provided to the public as open data.
The AOMI provides the following types of 2D maps and figures.
(a) Survey Point Map: Location where monitoring is conducted.
(b) Survey Frequency Grid Map: Numbers of monitoring conducted in certain areas.
(c) Figure of Survey Point Counts by Year: Changes in numbers of monitoring conducted in certain areas.
(d) Particle Density Grid Map: Microplastic particle density in certain areas.
(e) Figure of Particle Density by Year: Changes in plastic density in certain areas.
The AOMI provides the following types of 2D maps and figures.
(a) Survey Point Map: Location where monitoring is conducted.
(b) Survey Frequency Grid Map: Numbers of monitoring conducted in certain areas.
(c) Figure of Survey Point Counts by Year: Changes in numbers of monitoring conducted in certain areas.
(d) Particle Density Grid Map: Microplastic particle density in certain areas.
(e) Figure of Particle Density by Year: Changes in plastic density in certain areas.
■ Expected contribution
- Facilitating monitoring and data accumulation especially in areas where there are not enough data sets.
- Utilization as an assessment tool for countermeasures against plastic pollution based on trend data of microplastic distribution
in the environment.
in the environment.
- Utilization of basic data for future research on plastic pollution, such as risk assessments.
- Improving public awareness and understanding of plastic pollution through easy-to-understand information on plastic distribution
in the environment.
in the environment.
■ Contact
If you have any questions regarding how to download and provide data, please contact the email address below.
aomi-contact#env.go.jp
*When sending an email, please change "#" to "@" in the address.
aomi-contact#env.go.jp
*When sending an email, please change "#" to "@" in the address.
Reference
Harmonized monitoring and data compilation of marine plastic litter
https://www.env.go.jp/page_00929.html
Guidelines for Harmonizing Ocean Surface Microplastic Monitoring Methods
https://www.env.go.jp/content/000170502.pdf
https://www.env.go.jp/page_00929.html
Guidelines for Harmonizing Ocean Surface Microplastic Monitoring Methods
https://www.env.go.jp/content/000170502.pdf