SOLUTION / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
SALT Lofoten offers monitoring marine litter along coastlines
- Published 21 March 2023; updated 21 September 2026; estimated reading time 2 minutes. Listed under Maritime and Technology.
- SALT Lofoten developed the Stranded Litter Quantification Protocol (SLQP), a scientific service for measuring stranded marine litter. It uses stratified random sampling in selected geographic regions, followed by statistical analysis to estimate litter quantity and distribution. The method is intended to address shoreline-monitoring data that can be too inconsistent or unrepresentative for cleanup planning and trend tracking.
- Resulting data can help authorities and policymakers set budgets, determine where litter accumulates, and select cleanup locations. SALT and GRID-Arendal were developing a predictive hotspot model, with particular value proposed for remote or difficult Arctic coastlines. This is described as model development, not validated operational performance.
- The article says SLQP had generated large datasets in Norway and was commercially available internationally. It uses free map layers and requires little expensive equipment. Customers include ocean-industry companies and municipal, marine and coastal authorities.
- The data may also ground-truth satellite observations and aerial or underwater drone surveys. The page presents automated monitoring using deep-learning image analysis as a future possibility.
- Linked to SDG 14 (Life below water) through improved measurement and targeting of marine-litter cleanup.
- Contact: Carl Höjman, Advisor, carl@salt.nu. Company: SALT LOFOTEN AS, Fiskergata 23, 8300 Svolvær, Norway; salt.nu. A phone-number reveal control is present.