GeoSystem Research, a global leader in Earth science and technology
Business Introduction
Our Technology
Applications
Business Areas
Marine Debris and Microplastics
Marine debris and microplastics are considered to be one of the major threats to human life and ecosystems. In Korea, about 18,000 tons of marine debris is generated annually, and the amount recovered is less than half of the amount generated. About 70% of the marine debris in Korea is plastic, and medium and large sized plastics become microplasticized through weathering and decomposition in nature, making it difficult to collect them. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a full-cycle management system that considers proactive prevention and eco-friendly resource circulation. GeoSystem Research has developed a particle tracking technology-based marine debris/microplastics transport and distribution prediction model to support government agencies involved in aquatic environment management to help with establishing collection and management plans. Using this model, we provide technical support for the collection of disaster trash spilled during floods by predicting the behavior of marine debris and microplastics, and propose measures for managing floating and settling marine debris and microplastics distributed in the aquatic environment.Living Shoreline
As the international community became more aware of the seriousness of climate change, countermeasures against it are emerging as a global priority paradigm. Marine ecosystems are known to absorb carbon faster than terrestrial ecosystems, and to achieve carbon neutrality, blue carbon, a carbon absorption source in the field of marine fisheries, should be expanded more. To actively respond to the climate crisis, it is necessary create more carbon-absorbing and climate-adaptive coasts, or living shorelines, that are suitable for the domestic situation. Based on our extensive experience, GeoSystem Research can find the right areas to create such living shorelines and conduct raising seedlings and planting of marine plants (such as saltwater plants) for the same purpose. We can detect changes in marine sediments and marine organisms through the creation of living shorelines and calculate the carbon sink coefficient of each sediment or organism types. By doing so, we can verify the living shorelines’ carbon absorption capabilities and effect of improving ecological functions, then make guidelines and suggest future improvements.