Senior Research Scientist Oceanography & Hydrography Marine Pollution & Plastic Research Plastic Pollution • Constructed Wetlands • Circular Economy • POPs Location KMFRI Mombasa Years of Experience 2010–Present (16 Years at KMFRI) Department Oceanography and Hydrography Department Research Interests Plastic pollution; Abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gears; Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment and resource recovery; Circular economy; Persistent organic pollutants and their toxicity in aquatic environments | Research Focus: Advancing marine pollution research through innovative solutions for plastic pollution monitoring, constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment, and circular economy approaches to protect aquatic environments and support sustainable blue economy development. I am a senior research scientist with more than 16 years of professional experience. I hold a PhD in Applied Systems from Osnabrück University, Germany; a Master's in Marine Biotechnology from Wageningen University, the Netherlands; an Advanced Master's in Integrated Water Management from the University of Antwerpen, Belgium; and a Bachelor's in Biochemistry from Kenyatta University, Kenya. I have been involved in various research projects as lead investigator, including the application of Citizen Science in Plastic litter monitoring in Kenya using mobile technology; the contribution of rivers Sabaki and Tana to plastic litter to the Indian Ocean; and the application of decentralized constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. Additionally, I am involved in various regional and international platforms for advancing research in aquatic environments; this includes OceanPlastic to advance marine conservation and management, including marine debris-related research; International Water Association Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control, which links scientists working in water pollution and resource recovery; a member of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association link research centred in Western Indian Ocean region; and a member of Global Plastic Action Partnership which turns plastic pollution commitments into action through co-development of tools to help tackle plastic pollution. Research & Administrative Responsibility
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Selected Publications Atuga, G., & Schulz, M. (2024). Quantification, characterization, and source identification of macro-and mesoplastics on the riverbanks of Rivers Sabaki and Tana, in Kenya. Journal of Environmental Management, 370, 122887. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122887 Atuga, G., & Schulz, M. (2024). Quantification, characterization, and source identification of macro-and mesoplastics in the water column of Rivers Sabaki and Tana. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 196(11), 1110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-13244-3 Atuga, G. (2026). Quantification, characterization, and sources identification of macro- and mesoplastics in Rivers Sabaki and Tana in Kenya. PhD Thesis. Osnabrück University, Germany. https://doi.org/10.48693/937 Atuga, G., & Nyakeya, K. (2024). Applying Circular Economy Paradigm for Preventing Marine Plastic Pollution in Kenya: Opportunities and Challenges. Circular Economy and Sustainable Development: A Necessary Nexus for a Sustainable Future, 373-389. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-66007-8_21 Grimm, K., Spalding, M., Leal, M., Kincaid, K., Aigrette, L., Amoah-Quiminee, P., Amoras, L., Amouine, D., Areki, F., Arends, W., Argueta, J.M., Arrieta-Giron, C.A., Astra, A.S., Atuga, G., et al. (2024). Including Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) in Mangrove Conservation & Restoration. A Best-Practice Guide for Practitioners and Researchers. https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/118227 Atuga, G., & Jembe, T. (2022). Constructed Wetlands Application for Flower Farms Wastewater Treatment in Developing Countries: Case Study in Kenya. 257–69. Elsevier. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821664-4.00004-2 Diemont, E., Draugeyte, E., Atuga, G., & Bos, R. (2014). Democratizing knowledge: co-creating the future, insights from the iweek 2013. In 6th Living Knowledge, (pp. 88-97). https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/fulltext/359092 Atuga, G. et al. (2016). Enrichment of chlorobenzenes degrading cultures from Zeebrugge harbor river sediments. Proceedings of the 2016 JKUAT Scientific Technological and Industrialization Conference. http://journals.jkuat.ac.ke/index.php/jscp/article/view/1346 Atuga, G. et al. (2016). Influence of Temperature on Digested Black Water Nitrification: Suitable Conditions for algae growth. Proceedings of the 2016 JKUAT Scientific Technological and Industrialization Conference. http://41.204.187.99/index.php/jscp/article/view/1341 Atuga, G. & Teuchies. (2021). Monitoring Kenya's plastic problem: How Citizen Science can help monitor macroplastics pollution in Kenya using mobile technology. Environmental, Coastal & Offshore (ECO). https://digital.ecomagazine.com/publication/frame.php?i=707374&p=&pn=&ver=html5&view=articleBrowser&article_id=4031512 Links |
