Why do your monitoring clean-ups have transects and how are they analysed differently?

Data on debris abundance and distribution on beaches can be collected using various methods, each has pros/cons.

For community clean-up events, it is often easier and more enjoyable if the clean-up area is broad so that people can walk, talk, enjoy the beach, and collect any/all items.

However, from a scientific perspective, this creates challenges with the data because the total survey area might not be known, and the effort across the beach varies. To ensure we generate data that addresses both community and scientific needs, Tangaroa Blue Foundation uses multiple methods (e.g., transects, quadrats) to collect data, depending on whether we are hosting a community clean-up or conducting quarterly monitoring at our selected AMDI site locations.