Beach litter vocabularies
This page provides the official and updated lists of terms used to describe beach litter data in the EMODnet
Chemistry format. The beach litter validator checks the compliance of the terms used in beach litter files with
these official lists.
Access Type
| Code |
Description |
| Boat |
The beach can be accessed by boat |
| Pedestrian |
The beach can be accessed by pedestrian |
| Vehicle |
The beach can be accessed by vehicle |
Animal Condition
| Code |
Description |
| Alive |
Animal found was alive |
| Dead |
Animal found was dead |
Animal Sex
| Code |
Description |
| Female |
Animal found was female |
| Male |
Animal found was male |
Beach Back
| Code |
Description |
| Cliffs |
The back of the beach has cliffs |
| Dunes |
The back of the beach has dunes |
| Rocks |
The back of the beach has rocks |
| Forest |
The back of the beach has forest |
| Bush |
The back of the beach has bushes |
| Crops |
The back of the beach has crops |
| Fields |
The back of the beach has fields |
| BuiltupArea |
The back of the beach has cliffs a built-up area |
| Road |
The back of the beach has a road |
| Other |
The back of the beach can be specified |
Items Reference Lists
| Code |
Description |
| ITA |
ITALIAN reference list according to the monitoring program for the marine strategy of the Italian Ministry of Environment (Programmi di Monitoraggio Per la Strategia Marina Art. 11, D.lgs. 190/2010) |
| JLIST |
A Joint List of Litter Categories for Marine Macrolitter Monitoring (MSFD Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter, 2021) |
| OSPAR |
OSPAR reference list (Guideline for Monitoring Marine Litter on the Beaches in the OSPAR Maritime Area, 2010) |
| OSPAR_1000 |
OSPAR reference list for 1000 m surveys (Guideline for Monitoring Marine Litter on the Beaches in the OSPAR Maritime Area, 2010) |
| TSG-ML |
TSG-ML reference list (Guidance on Monitoring of Marine Litter in European Seas. MSFD Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter, 2013) |
| UNEP |
UNEP reference list (UNEP/IOC Guidelines on Survey and Monitoring of Marine Litter, 2009) |
| UNEP_MARLIN |
UNEP reference list adapted by MARLIN project (Final report of Baltic marine Litter project Marlin - litter monitoring and Raising awareness, 2011-2013) |
Cleaning Frequency
| Code |
Description |
| Daily |
Cleaning done every day |
| Weekly |
Cleaning done every week |
| Monthly |
Cleaning done every month |
| Other |
Other frequency of cleaning |
Cleaning Method
| Code |
Description |
| Manual |
The cleaning of the beach is done manually |
| Mechanical |
The cleaning of the beach is done mechanically |
Beach Direction
| Code |
Description |
| N |
North |
| NE |
North East |
| E |
East |
| SE |
South East |
| S |
South |
| SW |
South West |
| W |
West |
| NW |
North West |
Beach Material
| Code |
Description |
| MudToSandyMud |
Beach material according to EMODnet Geology five class sediment categorization is mud to sandy mud |
| Sand |
Beach material according to EMODnet Geology five class sediment categorization is sand |
| CoarseSediment |
Beach material according to EMODnet Geology five class sediment categorization is coarse sediment |
| MixedSediment |
Beach material according to EMODnet Geology five class sediment categorization is mixed sediment |
| RockAndBoulders |
Beach material according to EMODnet Geology five class sediment categorization is rock and boulders |
Ship or Harbour Type
| Code |
Description |
| Passengers |
Passengers ship |
| Merchant |
Merchant ship |
| Military |
Military ship |
| Recreational |
Recreational ship |
| Other |
Types of ships not contemplated in the list (i.e. local administration ships or research ships) |
| AllKinds |
All types of ships |
| Fishing |
Fishing ships including ships used for acquaculture |
Survey Type
| Code |
Description |
| Cleaning |
The survey is done during cleaning |
| Research |
The survey is done for research |
| Monitoring |
The survey is done for monitoring (MLW, citizen science, NGOs,...) |
| MSFD_monitoring |
Data from this survey will be considered for MSFD official evaluation and analysis (e.g. Baselines,...) |
Urbanisation Degree
| Code |
Description |
| Rural |
Thinly-populated area |
| Urban |
Densely populated area, 500 inhabitants/km2 and total population at least 50,000 inhabitants |
| Periurban |
Intermediate area,100 inhabitants/km2 and at least 50,000 inhabitants or adjacent to a densely-populated area |
Weather Condition
| Code |
Description |
| Wind |
During the survey there was wind |
| Rain |
During the survey there was rain |
| Snow |
During the survey there was snow |
| Ice |
During the survey there was ice |
| Fog |
During the survey there was fog |
| SandStorm |
During the survey there was a sandstorm |
| ExceptionallyHighTide |
During the survey there was an exceptionally high tide |
| Other |
Other conditions can be specified |
