Title of dataset: Exploring plastic transport dynamics

Creators: Rose Boahemaa Pinto, Tom Barendse, Tim van Emmerik, Martine van der Ploeg, Frank Ohene Annor, Kwame Duah, Job Udo, Remko Uijlenhoet


Related Publication: Exploring plastic transport dynamics in the Odaw river, Ghana

Description: 
In this study we explored the role of hydrometeorological variables (i.e rainfall, tides and discharges ) to the transport of plastics in the Odaw river. 

We monitored the floating plastic and other non-plastic litter using the visual counting approach. This method involved the counting of floating macroplastics litter from bridges. Four bridge locations based on safety and accessibility away from the Odaw river mouth were selected for monitoring. These locations were also selected for monitoring to  be able to account for the role tides play in the transport of plastics in the river.  Each bridge was sectioned into monitoring waypoints depending on the width of the bridge and the field view of an observer.Three waypoints were identified for three of the selected bridges. Only one bridge had two waypoints. At each of these bridges nmonitoring was done on eight different days between March and May 2021. At each monitoring day, floating plastics at each waypoint was monitored four times at a 5 minute timestep. Overall time spent in monitoring plastics at each bridge was 30 minutes.

Note for this study, only plastic litter items were counted.

With the hydrometeorological data, daily rainfall data within the sampling period was obtained from four TAHMO raingauge stations within the study area . Tidal data was obtained online and since there was no field discharges for this river, Discharges were simulated in SOBEK using the rainfall and tidal data obtained for this study.

Statistical analysis ( Pearson and Spearman rank) were used to explore the correlation of each hydrometeorological variable used for the study to the variation of plastics monitored within the study period.


Keywords: macroplastics, urban river, rainfall, tide, discharge 


This dataset contains 
1. an excel file named "Research data_upload.xlsx" which contains
        - the floating plastics data (Sheet 1: Floating_data), 
        - details of the TAHMO raingauge stations within the study area (Sheet 2: Raingauge details),
        - the daily rainfall data from the TAHMO raingauge stations (Sheet 3: rainfall data),
        - the tidal data (Sheet 4:tide data)
        - Simulated discharges at a one-hour timestep (Sheet 5: Simulated discharges)


This dataset is published under the CC BY (Attribution) license. This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator.
