
The NOAA Marine Debris Program has developed standardized, statistically valid methodologies for conducting rapid assessments of the debris material type and quantity present in a monitored location. The monitoring guidelines in this document focus on abundance, types, and concentration rather than analyzing by potential source, as in many cases it is very difficult to connect a debris item to a specific debris-generating activity. These techniques are intended to be widely applicable to enable comparisons across regional and global scales. Citation: Lippiatt, S., Opfer, S., and Arthur, C. 2013. Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS-OR&R-46.