AUSMAP

05/06/2026

What better way to highlight World Environment Day than showcasing our amazing AUSMAP ambassadors and their samples for the month May! 🌊🌟💙

Earth Day reminds us of the power of collective action for our planet, these volunteers show what meaningful, hands-on environmental stewardship looks like in action!

Swipe 1-2: The amazing team at Georges Riverkeeper taking their next round of samples (they have been collecting at 10 sites each year since 2018)!
Swipe 3: Redlands joined us for a hands-on scientist for a day activity at Athol Wharf Beach in Sydney
Swipe 4: Dr Natasha was in the field again, collecting the first sample from Bedlam Bay Beach, a new monitoring site along the Parramatta River!
Swipe 5: Our amazing, dedicated volunteers at Victor Harbor Coastcare SA, take their 5th sample in the region!
Swipe 6-7: Our monthly Manly Cove sample with our amazing regular volunteers!
Swipe 8: The amazing Clovelly Beach AUSMAP Group has taken their 3rd sample at the site!
Swipe 9: Ann and Cindy from Dorroughby Environmental Education Centre completed another survey at Brunswick Heads Beach. This was their second survey of the year and an impressive 28th survey since 2019, an incredible contribution to the long-term monitoring of their local coastline!

Thank you to all the volunteers who make AUSMAP all that we can be! Whether it’s processing samples in our office or getting out in the field, this data helps inform the community, council and government to work towards putting a stop to microplastics at the source! 🌊🌟

03/06/2026

Join AUSMAP for our monthly Manly Cove event!

Come and be a scientist for the morning and help us contribute to our longest-running data set!

When? Sunday June 7th - 10:00am - 12:00pm
Stay for the whole time, or pop in and lend a hand!
Where? Manly Cove Beach - meet on the beach in front of the Manly Art Gallery and Museum. Look for the AUSMAP flag.

Can’t come on the day, but still want to help? Reshare our Manly Cove post (you can find it in our “MANLY COVE” highlight) to your story and help spread the word that we need action on microplastic pollution in Sydney Harbour!

27/05/2026

AUSMAP is proud to be part of the Marine Education & Engagement Community of Practice Webinar series!

In this webinar, Dr Scott Wilson, AUSMAP Research Director, outlines how citizen science is helping monitor microplastic pollution at scale across Australia’s waterways. By combining scientific rigour with community participation, AUSMAP's national data monitoring and education program is designed to raise awareness and offer solutions to microplastic pollution!

📅 Thursday May 28, 2026
🕒 10:00am - 11:15am

🔗 Follow the link to register: e3c5db7e-f15c-4526-a3a5-ebcc165fdfea@96ef8821-2a39-471c-b89a-67b0833dd3b9" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e3c5db7e-f15c-4526-a3a5-ebcc165fdfea@96ef8821-2a39-471c-b89a-67b0833dd3b9

14/05/2026

They all started on a construction site!

Plastic construction waste unfortunately doesn’t just stay on building sites 🏗️🌊

From cable ties and insulation foam to tile spacers and wall plugs, construction-related debris is increasingly being found during beach cleans across Australia.

Once these materials enter waterways, they break up into smaller and smaller pieces, contributing to the growing microplastic problem impacting our coastlines and marine life.

Every item collected helps build a clearer picture of where pollution is coming from and why prevention at the source matters.

What plastic construction item have you found on your beach clean? Comment below.

12/05/2026

This week, students from headed into the field to uncover the secret world of microplastics! 🌊🔬

The students carried out their very own AUSMAP microplastic survey, learning firsthand how scientists can monitor plastic pollution in our waterways.

Over the coming weeks, they’ll take their investigation even further by sorting through their samples to discover just how much microplastic pollution was collected and what types of plastics were found.

From citizen scientists to future environmental leaders, these students are contributing to real-world research helping us better understand microplastic pollution across Australia!

11/05/2026

Microplastics are everywhere, from the food we eat, to the deepest parts of our ocean and even our...

Atmosphere!

That’s right. Microplastics and nanoplastics are so small and light that they can become airborne, travelling through our atmosphere. However, the effect of these particles on our climate is still widely unknown.

Scientists at Fudan University and Duke University are at the forefront of this research, working to understand how microplastics interact with light (their “optical properties”) and whether they contribute to warming or cooling our atmosphere.

The results of their study showed:
Almost all microplastic particles tested showed a net atmospheric warming effect
Coloured microplastics showed a greater warming effect than transparent or white particles
In ocean regions with extremely high plastic concentrations, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the warming effect of microplastics could locally exceed that of black carbon by nearly five times

On a global scale, this warming effect is still relatively small. However, with plastic pollution and airborne plastic concentrations expected to increase, researchers suggest this impact could grow over time.

Further research is still needed to better understand both the concentration of airborne plastics in our environment and their potential climate impacts.

At AUSMAP, we monitor microplastic levels in waterways across the country to identify pollution hotspots and support solutions at the source.

05/05/2026

Have you been spotted in our new hat? 👀

Swipe to see some recent sightings featuring a few familiar faces, including our AUSMAP team and other incredible ocean advocates! 🔍💙🌊

Get your “make love not microplastic” hat today! 🔍

https://www.ausmap.org/shop/AUSMAP-NEW-HAT-p596126791

01/05/2026

April AUSMAP photo dump! 🔍💙

Swipe to see photos from some amazing volunteers caring for their waterways and mapping microplastic pollution! 💙

Slide 1-2: Lovely day for a community Sample with Dr Amanda Cohn and the Central Coast Greens at Terrigal Lagoon, Darkinjung Country NSW on the 19th April with 15 attendees!

Slide 3-4: New volunteers joined us at our monthly Manly Cove/ Kai’ymay sample and were unfortunately introduced to pellets, picking a total of 509 out of the high tide line.

Slide 5-7: A big month of pellet spotting continues with Dr Natasha collecting plenty from Quarantine Beach, Kai’ymay Country. Can you spot them in the sieve on slide 7? You can see a handful collected on slide 9.

Slide 8-9: A repeat sample by Dr Natasha at Whale Beach, Garigal Country NSW with on this occasion recording 0 plastics along the high tide line!! Couldn’t escape the macro litter unfortunately.

Slide 10: An amazing morning with the Rakuten team takin an AUSMAP survey at Rose Bay Beach!

Thank you to all the volunteers who make AUSMAP all that we can be! Whether it’s processing samples in our office or getting out in the field, this data helps inform the community, council and government to work towards putting a stop to microplastics at the source!

See you next month! 🌏🔍

29/04/2026

At first glance, you might think our shorelines don’t have a plastic problem… but take a closer look and you can’t unsee just how much microplastic there really is 😅

Manly Cove is one of Sydney’s most consistent microplastic hotspot sites.

Since 2018 AUSMAP has been sampling at this site with the help over over 700 volunteers! During that time, microplastic pollution levels at Manly Cove have increased 7-fold!

Want to see the problem first hand and help us take our monthly survey?

Join us this Sunday:

📍Manly Cove, West Esplanade
Meet on the beach in front of the Manly Art Gallery and Museum
📆Sunday 3rd May
⏰ 10am - 12pm

For more information and to register see the link https://www.ausmap.org/events-1/manly-cove-kaiymay-microplastic-hunt-2

28/04/2026

Did you know we have been partnering with Georges Riverkeeper since 2018 to collect microplastic data across the Georges River and greater Botany Bay catchment?

This data has been critical in helping us understand pollution trends across the region.

Thank you for your amazing work!

Recent new microplastics data is shaping a lot of our conversations with stakeholders, the community, and our member councils. The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water, DCCEEW, released its Broadscale Microplastic Assessment of NSW waterways about a month ago. The Georges River was graded 'E' which is the worst grade, and is considered very polluted. Out of 120 waterways in NSW, Georges River ranked at 107 for highest concentrations of microplastics.

Alongside AUSMAP’s NSW microplastics report released earlier in 2026, the findings from DCCEEW’s water column sampling and AUSMAP’s shoreline sampling point to the same clear takeaway, we need to stop microplastics at the source.

Tackling plastic pollution takes teamwork, and collaboration is essential if we’re going to properly understand what’s happening across our waterways, and what will actually reduce the impacts.

Georges Riverkeeper is about to begin our annual AUSMAP sampling across ten key sites throughout the catchment, to keep building this vital long-term dataset.

AUSMAP is especially powerful because it’s community-powered. Citizen scientists have been collecting long-term data from 2018 to today, helping identify ongoing hotspots and trends over time, while also building awareness and momentum for change.

Want to dive deeper into microplastic levels in NSW estuaries? Read both reports here:
DCCEEW: https://bit.ly/4cdN84R
AUSMAP: https://bit.ly/427UZuJ