Microplastic monitoring based on cost-effective open-hardware solutions

Massive garbage patches within all oceanic gyres have garnered global attention, underscoring microplastic pollution as an emerging concern. The ASTRAL Pool of technologies has developed solutions based on the open-hardware and open-software flow cytometry PlanktoScope initiative to address micro-scale plastic pollution in aquatic environments, particularly within Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) sites. This publicly available dataset, which includes images generated from both laboratory protocols and real environmental assessments, aims to contribute to the scientific community by supporting the development and validation of new technologies and algorithms. By providing this resource, ASTRAL (All Atlantic Ocean Sustainable, Profitable and Resilient Aquaculture) project seeks to foster innovation and collaboration in the fight against Microplastic Pollution. The following sections aim to provide a brief overview to ensure the provided dataset addresses the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable principles. Further information is available on related ASTRAL literature.