{"id":10010,"date":"2021-06-11T08:42:40","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T06:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outdoorportofino.com\/?p=10010"},"modified":"2026-03-11T16:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:38:15","slug":"marine-citizen-science-how-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outdoorportofino.com\/en\/blog\/marine-citizen-science-how-to\/","title":{"rendered":"Marine Citizen Science: how to and why is it important"},"content":{"rendered":"\nHow can watersports<\/strong> be helpful to conserving the marine environment<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\n\nOne thing is for sure – the sea is very big. It covers 71% of our planet\u2019s surface and is 10.9 km deep in some parts, yet only less than 10% has been explored. The sea is immense, deep and mysterious<\/strong>. And it is exactly because it is so extensive and because we know so little about it that it is so hard to protect – how can we protect something that we know so little of?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\nIn order to set up protected areas where nature can regenerate, scientists do dives, looking for fragile and vulnerable places that extremely rich in biodiversity, they sieve the sea searching for microplastics to discover the pollution levels in a particular stretch of water, and they depart on long and repeated ocean missions in order to measure the sea\u2019s temperature. A work as necessary as it is immense for the scientific community, which counts for just 0.1% of the world\u2019s population<\/strong> (UNESCO, 2007<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Alessandra
Alessandra paddles through the vast, deep sea during an action, together with the CRABS team. Photo by Tommaso Orlandi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

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The sea is immense, deep and mysterious and the scientists are few and far between (often with very limited spending power).<\/h3>\n\n\n

\n\n\nBut the vastness of the sea has warmed the hearts of many curious folk as well as explorers and sportspeople through the course of history, who, in order to discover, live and move around on it have used all sorts of ways: there are those who use their own body, sliding through the water; those who harness the force of the wind, using engineering works of all kinds; and those who paddle, with something to float on. For many\u00a0 the sea is a fun park, where you can enjoy moments without limits of time, a training field, yet a crisscrossing of main roads: justin the USA, more than 21,7 million people practice sea paddle sports <\/strong>(Outdoor Industry, 2015<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\nThe watersports community represents in fact a potential fleet of sea enthusiasts<\/strong>, all ready to collect data for its research and conservation, acting as those multiple eyes and hands that the scientists don\u2019t have, all with a limited budget.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Citizen science: what is it exactly?<\/h2>\n\n\n

\n\n\nThis way of collecting data using non professionals is called \u201ccitizen science\u201d<\/strong>. Even though the term was coined only recently (Oxford English Dictionary in 2014), it isn\u2019t a new phenomenon but can be traced back to before the professionalisation of science – Charles Darwin himself (1809-1888) wasn\u2019t a professional scientist but an enthusiastic amateur! The first real citizen science project was identified at the start of the 20th century, when an american non-profit organisation (the National Audubon Society) organised a Christmas bird watching event, in order to monitor the quantity and different species of birds in a selected area, where the guests were invited to count the feathered friends that they encountered.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\nToday citizen science projects are extremely numerous throughout the globe (waiting to be discovered on platforms like Sci Starter <\/a>and Zooniverse<\/a>), covering every sort of natural environment, from the depths of the oceans to the Milky Way.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\nAngelo mounts the collecting jar of the mini-manta for microplastics sampling during a monitoring session together with the CRABS team and CNR IAS. Photo by Tommaso Orlandi<\/p>\n\n\n

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How to conduct citizen science in the marine environment<\/h2>\n\n\n

\n\n\nDespite being less popular than its terrestrial counterpart, citizen science in the marine environment is an ever more recognized data collection method for exploring such a vast and deep environment. With some specific training and the right tools, a swim training session, a sunset paddle, a couple of tacks on a sailboat or a fun dive can become true scientific expeditions for sampling and monitoring<\/strong> (Earp & Liconti 2019)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\nThere are many different ways to help the scientific community during our favourite sports activities, to suit all tastes!<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\nLet\u2019s see just a selection:<\/p>\n\n\n

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