DOI: 10.5061/dryad.0rxwdbs8f
title: Baseline Marine Debris Data (2015-2023) - Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

description: This dataset is synthesized coastline marine debris data from three
 existing sources and primary collected data. It covers the Central
 California region from Cambria to Naples for the years 2015-2023. This
 file contains 40 marine debris item type categories, 6 marine debris
 material type categories (plastic, glass, metal, cloth, paper and wood,
 mixed), and 7 marine debris source activity categories (personal hygiene,
 recreation, smoking, eating and drinking, fishing, dumping, and various).
 This data set is part of the broader research project conducted by
 students at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.
 See the research project's abstract for more information: 
 California is both a major source of anthropogenic marine debris and an
 area particularly vulnerable to its damaging impacts. However, little is
 known about the quantities and impacts of marine debris in the proposed
 Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS) along the central coast
 of California. This project, conducted by graduate students through the
 Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the
 University of California, Santa Barbara, creates a baseline assessment of
 marine debris in the proposed CHNMS. It aims to inform the National
 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Sanctuaries West Coast
 Regional Office, along with sanctuary management partners and local
 communities, about local marine debris and potential management measures.
 Existing community science beach cleanup data and primary collected data
 were analyzed to understand spatial patterns in quantities and types of
 marine debris. We found that plastic debris is the most common material
 type; areas with the greatest debris densities are likely the Morro Bay,
 Avila Beach, Five Cities, and Gaviota Coast areas. Smoking, eating, and
 drinking are major activities that contribute to coastal debris in this
 region. Alongside this quantitative analysis, analyses of policies and
 interviews with agencies, local organizations, research institutes, and
 Indigenous communities revealed that current policies may not be effective
 at reducing marine debris, despite strong concern for marine debris and
 its impacts on the coastal environment in this region. Based on these
 findings, we recommend streamlining debris collection protocols with
 standardized debris categories and effort metrics, implementing innovative
 policies to reduce marine debris sources, ensuring co-stewardship of the
 CHNMS to include and prioritize Indigenous perspectives, and conducting
 additional research on marine and land-based sources of debris. These
 recommendations will enhance monitoring and mitigation of marine debris in
 the CHNMS.
description: # Baseline Marine Debris Data (2015-2023) - Proposed Chumash Heritage
 National Marine Sanctuary
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0rxwdbs8f](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.0rxwdbs8f) This dataset is synthesized coastline marine debris data from three existing sources and primary collected data. It covers the Central California region from Cambria to Naples for the years 2015-2023. ## Data Description & Access This data set contains 907 rows with 73 variables. Each row is a separate marine debris coastal cleanup within the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary coastline in Central California. The variables include 40 marine debris item type categories, 6 marine debris material type categories (plastic, glass, metal, cloth, paper and wood, mixed), and 7 marine debris source activity categories (personal hygiene, recreation, smoking, eating and drinking, fishing, dumping, and various). This data set is part of the broader research project conducted by students at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.  Details about these data and the broader project can be found in this public [GitHub repository](https://github.com/WasteFreeWaves/assessing_marine_debris). The [README file](https://github.com/WasteFreeWaves/assessing_marine_debris/blob/main/README.md) contains detailed information about all files in the repository. Metadata for this dataset can be found [here](https://github.com/WasteFreeWaves/assessing_marine_debris/blob/main/Outputs/all_data_metadata.csv), or in the Outputs/all_data_metadata.csv file within the GitHub repository. For more information on how data were classified and what each category includes, see the methodology and results section of the [final report](https://bren.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/2024-04/WasteFreeWaves_FinalReport.pdf).  ## Code/Software R code can be found in the above GitHub repository, and the GitHub repository README file details what code is contained in the various .rmd files.