Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Since 2018 I have investigated macrolitter in coastal environment with a participatory approach. I did my PhD with the citizen science program Cientificos de la Basura (Chile). Through an international network of school teachers, schoolchildren and volunteers, I studied the marine litter issue using methodologies from different disciplines. Currently, I'm coordinating the Ocean Travelers project that seeks to collect data about seasonal patterns of floating litter arrivals across the Americas, and look for the marine invertebrates that arrive on them. To approach this goal, we are working on the Ocean Travelers international network. Researchers worldwide are invited to collaborate in samplings and taxonomic identifications.

Contact us to oceantravelers.study@gmail.com

Visit the website https://serc.si.edu/participatory-science/projects/ocean-travelers

Publications: 

Thiel, M., Baeza-Álvarez, J., Díaz, M., De Veer, D., Dittman, S., Guevara, V., Holtmann-Ahumada, G., Honorato-Zimmer, D., Kiessling, T., Leyton-Muñoz, A., López-Xalín, N., Nuñez, P., Sepúlveda, J.M., Vásquez, N. (2023). Communication strategies in an international school citizen science program investigating marine litter. Frontiers in Environmental Science, section Environmental Citizen Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1270413

De Veer, D., Baeza-Álvarez, J., Bolaños, S., Cavour-Araya, S., Darquea, J.J., Díaz-Poblete, M.A., Domínguez, G., Holtmann-Ahumada, G., Honorato-Zimmer, D., Gaibor, N., Gallardo, M.A., Guevara-Torrejón, V., León-Chumpitaz, A., Marcús-Zamora, L., Mora, V., Muñoz-Araya, J.M., Pernía, B., Purca, S., Rivanedeira, M.M., Sánchez, O.A., Sepúlveda, J.M., Urbina, M., Vásquez, N., Vélez-Tacuri, J., Villalobos, V., Villanueva-Vrücher, B., Thiel, M. (2023) Citizen scientists study beach litter along 12,000 km of the East Pacific coast: A baseline for the International Plastic Treaty. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 196, 115481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115481

Praet, E., Baeza-Álvarez, J., De Veer, D., Holtmann-Ahumada, G., Jones, J., Langford, S., Michel-Dearte, J., Schofield, J., Thiel, M., Wyles, K.J., 2023. Bottle as a message: the role of storytelling as an engagement tool to explore children’s perceptions of plastic litter. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 186, 114457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114457

De Veer, D., Drouin, A., Fischer, J., González, C., Holtmann, G., Honorato-Zimmer, D., Leyton, A., Núñez, P., Sepúlveda, J.M., Vásquez, N., Thiel, M., 2022. How do schoolchildren perceive litter? Overlooked in urban but not in natural environments. Journal of Environmental Phycology, 81, 101781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101781

Thiel, M., De Veer, D., Espinoza-Fuendaliza, N., Espinoza, C., Gallardo, C., Hinojosa, I.A., Kiessling, T., Rojas, J., Sanchez, A., Sotomayor, F., Vasque, N., Villablanca, R., 2021. COVID lessons from the global south – Face masks invading tourist beaches and recommendations for the outdoor seasons. Sciences of the Total Environment, 786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147486

Amenábar-Cristi, M., Holzapfel, C., Nehls, M., De Veer, D., Gonzalez, C., Holtmann, G., Honorato-Zimmer, D., Kiessling, T., Leyton Munoz, A., Narváez Reyes, S., Nuñez, P., Sepulveda, J.M., Vásquez, N., Thiel, M., 2020. The rise and demise of plastic shopping bags in Chile – Broad and informal coalition supporting ban as a first step to reduce single-use plastics. Ocean and Coastal Management, 187: 105079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.105079

Carranza, D. M., Varas-Belemmi, K., De Veer, D., Iglesias-Müller, C., Coral-Santacruz, D., Méndez, F. A., Torres-Lagos, E., Squeo, F.A., Gaymer, C. F., 2020. Socio-environmental conflicts: An underestimated threat to biodiversity conservation in Chile. Environmental Science & Policy, 110, 46-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.04.006