%20(1).png)
Citizen Science
and the Marmara Sea
Funded by the National Geographic Society
This citizen science project invites people living around the Marmara Sea to help us track changes in the environment—especially jellyfish blooms, mucilage outbreaks, and plastic waste.
We’re building a community of everyday scientists—people who care about the sea and want to help protect it by sharing what they see along the coast.
Developed by SeaSketch
This interactive map shows real-time reports submitted by citizen scientists across the Marmara Sea region.
You can zoom in on specific areas, click on individual reports to learn more, and track patterns as they emerge over time.
Each marker represents a sighting of either jellyfish, mucilage blooms and plastic pollution.
The Missing Link
There’s a missing link between what scientists know and what local communities experience.
Research on the Marmara Sea is happening—in labs, in reports, in universities—but that information rarely reaches the people who live closest to the water.
Scientific findings often stay locked in academic journals, written in complex language, without ever making their way back to the coastline.
The project was created to bridge that gap, to connect academic awareness with local knowledge and action.
It gives communities a voice, and scientists a clearer picture of what’s happening on the ground and in the sea.
By working together, we’re not just gathering data—we’re creating a two-way channel between science and society
Know Your Sea
Discover the norms and challenges of the Marmara Sea
Jellyfish
Jellyfish overpopulation is an indication of a struggling ecosystem—triggered by pollution, climate change, and unbalanced fish stocks.
Mucilage
Mucilage, or Sea Snot, forms when pollution causes algae overgrowth, smothering marine life and suffocating ecosystems.
Plastic Pollution
Millions of tons of plastic enter our seas every year, breaking down into toxic microplastics that harm wildlife and contaminate food chains.
.png)
.png)
March Observations
Check Back Soon...