Scientific Publications | The Ocean Cleanup (original) (raw)

At The Ocean Cleanup we face the unique challenge that we don’t only have to develop technology to solve a problem, but at the same time also have to work on understanding the problem itself. Understanding the properties of ocean plastic pollution is critical in developing efficient cleanup systems, determining optimal deployment locations and creating suitable recycling processes.

Collaborations between our in-house research team and various scientific institutions have so far resulted in the following publications:

Marine plastic debris as a reservoir and vector of antibiotic-resistant pathogens: evidence of transmission to sea turtles in the Southwest Indian Ocean

December 2025, article in a peer-reviewed journal
Marine Environmental Research

Philippe Jourand, Alice Philippe, Loris Carret, Shiva Moutoucomarapoule, Celia Crespel, Leila Leon, Loik Sababadichetty, Margot Thibault, Clarisse Majorel, François Guilhaumon, Véronique Lenoble, Claire Jean, Stéphane Ciccione, Mathieu Barret, Francis Schneider and Guillaume Miltgen

Highly engaged marine users can help monitor marine plastic pollution in under accessed environments

October 2025, article in a peer-reviewed journal
Ocean & Coastal Management

Peter S. Puskic, Isabelle Cramer, Emma Church, Emily Deery, Matthias Egger, Natalie Fox, William P. de Haan, Laurent Lebreton, Arianna Liconti, Anna Sanchez-Vidal and Helen Wolter

Concentration gradient of plastic debris larger than 500 μm detected across the Southwest Indian ocean

July 2025, Article in a Peer-Reviewed Journal
Scientific Reports

Margot Thibault, Adrian Fajeau, Aina Ramanampananjy, Sarah-Jeanne Royer, Gwennaïs Fustemberg, Vyctoria Marillac, Julie Gindrey, Anjara Saloma, Manon Condet, Perrine Mangion, April Burt, Matthias Egger, Maxime Amy, Sébastien Jaquemet, Thierry Mulochau, Philippe Jourand, Alexandra ter Halle, Matthieu Le Corre and Laurent Lebreton

Evaluating the environmental impact of cleaning the North Pacific Garbage Patch

May 2025, Article in a Peer-Reviewed Journal
Scientific Reports

Matthias Egger, Andy M. Booth, Thijs Bosker, Gert Everaert, Samantha L. Garrard, Vilma Havas, Helga S. Huntley, Albert A. Koelmans, Karin Kvale, Laurent Lebreton, Helge Niemann, Qiaotong Pang, Maira Proietti, Peter Puskic, Camille Richon, Sarah-Jeanne Royer, Matthew S. Savoca, Arjen Tjallema, Marjolein van Vulpen, Yanxu Zhang, Ziman Zhang and Denise M. Mitrano

The distribution of subsurface microplastics in the ocean

April 2025, article in a peer reviewed Journal
Nature

Shiye Zhao, Karin F. Kvale, Lixin Zhu, Erik R. Zettler, Matthias Egger, Tracy J. Mincer, Linda A. Amaral-Zettler, Laurent Lebreton, Helge Niemann, Ryota Nakajima, Martin Thiel, Ryan P. Bos and Luisa Galgani & Aron Stubbins

Mind the fragmentation gap

November, 2024, article in peer-reviewed journal
Nature Communications

Karin Kvale, Zhenna Azimrayat Andrews and Matthias Egger

Monitoring macroplastics in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems: Expert survey reveals visual and drone-based census as most effective techniques

September, 2024, article in peer-reviewed journal
Science of The Total Environment

L. Gallitelli, P. Girard, U. Andriolo, M. Liro, G. Suaria, C. Martin, A.L. Lusher, K. Hancke, MCM Blettler, O. Garcia-Garin, I.E. Napper, L. Corbari, A. Cózar, C. Morales-Caselles, D. González-Fernández, J. Gasperi, T. Giarrizzo, G. Cesarini, K. De, M. Constant, P. Koutalakis, G. Gonçalves, P. Sharma, S. Gundogdu, R. Kumar, N.A. Garello, A.L.G. Camargo, K. Topouzelis, F. Galgani, S.J. Royer, G.N. Zaimes, F. Rotta, S. Lavender, V. Nava, J. Castro-Jiménez, T. Mani, R. Crosti, V.M. Azevedo-Santos, F. Bessa, R. Tramoy, M.F. Costa, C. Corbau, A. Montanari, C. Battisti and M. Scalici

Barau’s petrel, Pterodroma baraui, as a bioindicator of plastic pollution in the South-West Indian Ocean: a multifaceted approach

August 2024, article in peer-reviewed journal
Marine Environmental Research

Margot Thibault, Lisa Weiss, Romain Fernandez, Naïs Avargues, Sébastien Jaquemet, Laurent Lebreton, Juliette Garnier, Audrey Jaeger, Sarah-Jeanne Royer, Audrey Cartraud, Alexandra ter Halle, Patrick Marsaleix, Leo Chevillon, Julie Tourmetz and Matthieu Le Corre

Impact of microplastic pollution on breaking waves

July 2024, article in peer-reviewed journal
Physics of Fluids

Jotam Bergfreund, Ciatta Wobill, Frederic M. Evers, Benjamin Hohermuth, Pascal Bertsch, Laurent Lebreton, Erich J. Windhab and Peter Fischer

Proof of concept for a new sensor to monitor marine litter from space

June 2024, article in peer-reviewed journal
Nature Communications

Andrés Cózar, Manuel Arias, Giuseppe Suaria, Josué Viejo, Stefano Aliani, Aristeidis Koutroulis, James Delaney, Guillaume Bonnery, Diego Macías, Robin de Vries, Romain Sumerot, Carmen Morales-Caselles, Antonio Turiel, Daniel González-Fernández and Paolo Corradi

Simulating drifting fish aggregating device trajectories to identify potential interactions with endangered sea turtles

May 2024, article in peer-reviewed journal
Conservation Biology

Lauriane Escalle, J. Scutt Phillips, J. Lopez, J. M. Lynch, H. Murua, S. J. Royer, Y. Swimmer, J. Murua, Alex Sen Gupta, V. Restrepo and G. Moreno

Training the next generation of plastics pollution researchers: tools, skills and career perspectives in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field

November 2023, article in a peer-reviewed journal
Microplastics and Nanoplastics

Denise M. Mitrano, Moritz Bigalke, Andy M. Booth, Camilla Catarci Carteny, Scott Coffin, Matthias Egger, Andreas Gondikas, Thorsten Hüffer, Albert A. Koelmans, Elma Lahive, Karin Mattsson, Stephanie Reynaud and Stephan Wagner

Large floating abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is frequent marine pollution in the Hawaiian Islands and Palmyra Atoll

November 2023, article in a peer-reviewed journal
Marine Pollution Bulletin

Sarah-Jeanne Royer, Raquel N. Corniuk, Andrew McWhirter, Harry W. Lynch IV, Kydd Pollock, Kevin O'Brien, Lauriane Escalle, Katherine A. Stevens, Gala Moreno and Jennifer M. Lynch

Do loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) gut contents reflect the types, colors and sources of plastic pollution in the Southwest Indian Ocean?

September 2023, article in a peer-reviewed journal
Marine Pollution Bulletin

Margot Thibault, Ludovic Hoarau, Laurent Lebreton, Matthieu Le Corre, Mathieu Barret, Emmanuel Cordier, Stéphane Ciccione, Sarah-Jeanne Royer, Alexandra Ter Halle , Aina Ramanampamonjy, Claire Jean and Mayeul Dalleau

Extent and reproduction of coastal species on plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

April 2023, article in a peer-reviewed journal
Nature Ecology & Evolution

Linsey E. Haram, James T. Carlton, Luca Centurioni, Henry Choong, Brendan Cornwell, Mary Crowley, Matthias Egger, Jan Hafner, Verena Hormann, Laurent Lebreton, Nikolai Maximenko, Megan McCuller, Cathryn Murray, Jenny Par, Andrey Shcherbina, Cynthia Wright and Gregory M. Ruiz

Plastic Photodegradation Under Simulated Marine Conditions

January 2023, Article in peer-reviewed journal
Marine Pollution Bulletin

Annalisa Delre, Maaike Goudriaan, Victor Hernando Morales, Annika Vaksmaa, Rachel Tintswalo Ndhlovu, Marianne Baas, Edwin Keijzer, Tim de Groot, Emna Zeghal, Matthias Egger, Thomas Rockmann and Helge Niemann

Plastics in Freshwater Bodies

April 2022, Chapter in Scientific Book
Plastics and the Ocean: Origin, Characterization, Fate, and Impacts

Laurent Lebreton, Merel Kooi, Thomas Mani, Tim van Emmerik, Helen Wolter, Mine B. Tekman, Svenja M. Mintenig and Anthony L. Andrady

An Inshore–Offshore Sorting System Revealed from Global Classification of Ocean Litter

10 June 2021, Article in peer-reviewed journal
Nature Sustainability

Carmen Morales-Caselles, Josué Viejo, Elisa Martí, Daniel González-Fernández, Hannah Pragnell-Raasch, J. Ignacio González-Gordillo, Enrique Montero, Gonzalo M. Arroyo, Georg Hanke, Vanessa S. Salvo, Oihane C. Basurko, Nicholas Mallos, Laurent Lebreton, Fidel Echevarría, Tim van Emmerik, Carlos M. Duarte, José A. Gálvez, Erik van Sebille, François Galgani, Carlos M. García, Peter S. Ross, Ana Bartual, Christos Ioakeimidis, Gorka Markalain, Atsuhiko Isobe and Andrés Cózar

Predicted growth in plastic waste exceeds efforts to mitigate plastic pollution

Article in peer-reviewed journal
September 2020, Science

Stephanie B. Borrelle , Jeremy Ringma, Kara Lavender Law, Cole C. Monnahan, Laurent Lebreton, Alexis McGivern, Erin Murphy, Jenna Jambeck, George H. Leonard, Michelle A. Hilleary, Marcus Eriksen, Hugh P. Possingham, Hannah De Frond, Leah R. Gerber, Beth Polidoro, Akbar Tahir, Miranda Bernard, Nicholas Mallos, Megan Barnes and Chelsea M. Rochman

The Physical Oceanography of the Transport of Floating Marine Debris

Topical review
February 2020, Environmental Research Letters

Erik van Sebille, Stefano Aliani, Kara Lavender Law, Nikolai Maximenko, José M Alsina, Andrei Bagaev, Melanie Bergmann, Bertrand Chapron, Irina Chubarenko, Andrés Cózar, Philippe Delandmeter, Matthias Egger, Baylor Fox-Kemper, Shungudzemwoyo P Garaba, Lonneke Goddijn-Murphy, Britta Denise Hardesty, Matthew J Hoffman, Atsuhiko Isobe, Cleo E Jongedijk, Mikael L A Kaandorp, Liliya Khatmullina, Albert A Koelmans, Tobias Kukulka, Charlotte Laufkötter, Laurent Lebreton, Delphine Lobelle, Christophe Maes, Victor Martinez-Vicente, Miguel Angel Morales Maqueda, Marie Poulain-Zarcos, Ernesto Rodríguez, Peter G Ryan, Alan L Shanks, Won Joon Shim, Giuseppe Suaria, Martin Thiel, Ton S van den Bremer and David Wichmann

Measuring Marine Plastic Debris from Space: Initial Assessment of Observation Requirements

October 2019, article in peer-reviewed journal
Remote Sensing

Víctor Martínez-Vicente, James R. Clark, Paolo Corradi, Stefano Aliani, Manuel Arias, Mathias Bochow, Guillaume Bonnery, Matthew Cole, Andrés Cózar, Rory Donnelly, Fidel Echevarría, François Galgani, Shungudzemwoyo P. Garaba, Lonneke Goddijn-Murphy, Laurent Lebreton, Heather A. Leslie, Penelope K. Lindeque, Nikolai Maximenko, François-Régis Martin-Lauzer, Delwyn Moller, Peter Murphy, Lorenzo Palombi, Valentina Raimondi, Julia Reisser, Laia Romero, Stefan G.H. Simis, Sindy Sterckx, Richard C. Thompson, Konstantinos N. Topouzelis, Erik van Sebille, Joana Mira Veiga and A. Dick Vethaak

Toward the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System

Article in peer-reviewed journal
August 2019, Frontiers in Marine Science

Nikolai Maximenko, Paolo Corradi, Kara Lavender Law, Erik Van Sebille, Shungudzemwoyo P. Garaba, Richard Stephen Lampitt, Francois Galgani, Victor Martinez-Vicente, Lonneke Goddijn-Murphy, Joana Mira Veiga, Richard C. Thompson, Christophe Maes, Delwyn Moller, Carolin Regina Löscher, Anna Maria Addamo, Megan Rose Lamson, Luca R Centurioni, Nicole Rita Posth, Rick Lumpkin, Matteo Vinci, Ana Maria Martins, Catharina Diogo Pieper, Atsuhiko Isobe, Georg Hanke, Margo Edwards, Irina P. Chubarenko, Ernesto Rodriguez, Stefano Aliani, Manuel Arias, Gregory P. Asner, Alberto Brosich, James T. Carlton, Yi Chao, Anna-Marie Cook, Andrew B. Cundy, Tamara S. Galloway, Alessandra Giorgetti, Gustavo Jorge Goni, Yann Guichoux, Linsey E. Haram, Britta Denise Hardesty, Neil Holdsworth, Laurent Lebreton, Heather A. Leslie, Ilan Macadam-Somer, Thomas Mace, Mark Manuel, Robert Marsh, Elodie Martinez, Daniel J. Mayor, Morgan Le Moigne, Maria Eugenia Molina Jack, Matt Charles Mowlem, Rachel W. Obbard, Katsiaryna Pabortsava, Bill Robberson, Amelia-Elena Rotaru, Gregory M. Ruiz, Maria Teresa Spedicato, Martin Thiel, Alexander Turra and Chris Wilcox

A Methodology to Characterize Riverine Macroplastic Emission Into the Ocean

Article in peer-reviewed journal
October 2018, Frontiers in Marine Science

Tim van Emmerik, Thuy-Chung Kieu-Le, Michelle Loozen, Kees van Oeveren, Emilie Strady, Xuan-Thanh Bui, Matthias Egger, Johnny Gasperi, Laurent Lebreton, Phuoc-Dan Nguyen, Anna Schwarz, Boyan Slat and Bruno Tassin

Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is Rapidly Accumulating Plastic

Article in peer reviewed journal
March 2018, Scientific Reports

Laurent CM Lebreton, Boyan Slat, Francesco Ferrari, Bruno Sainte-Rose, Jen Aitken, Bob Marthouse, Sara Hajbane, Serena Cunsolo, Anna Schwarz, Aurore Levivier, Kim Noble, Pavla Debeljak, Hanna Maral, Rosanna Schoeneich-Argent, Roberto Brambini and Julia Reisser