Every year, an additional 11 million tons of microplastics permeate the water column and marine ecosystems within it. Geoscience is contributing to strategies that aim to identify microplastic movements—and stop them.
plastics
Posted inFeatures
Measuring Microplastics in Every Ocean Layer
Small bits of plastic don’t just float at the sea surface—they span the entire water column. Scientists need consistent methods to track these particles and to better understand the hazards they pose.
Posted inNews
What Tires Leave Behind Can Become Toxic Fish Food
Tire particles might seem tasty, if you’re a fish—but a new study shows how this pervasive microplastic can affect growth and behavior in marine species.
Posted inNews
Trekking Tourism Leaves a Microplastic Footprint in a High Himalayan Lake
Plastic pollution may ripple downstream, threatening the human and wildlife communities that depend on glacier-fed waters.
Posted inScience Updates
Tracking Microplastics Above and Below the Waves
Measuring plastic particles carried on Cozumel’s sea breezes and ocean currents reveals how simple physics shapes the particles’ pathways and the impacts they may have on coastal regions.
Posted inFeatures
Pollution Is Rampant. We Might As Well Make Use of It.
Human-made substances hold dangers for the environment, but they also give scientists a view into recent history.
Posted inNews
Plastic Debris Helps Oil Residues Reach Farther Across the Ocean
Scientists matched oil residues found in Florida to a Brazilian spill thousands of miles away.
Posted inNews
Los microplásticos tienen efectos muy variados en el suelo
Un nuevo estudio revela que una concentración de microplásticos de tan solo el 0,4 % altera el drenaje del suelo, lo que podría afectar al crecimiento de los cultivos y otras plantas.
Posted inNews
Microplastics Have Widely Varying Effects on Soil
A new study finds that a microplastic concentration of just 0.4% alters the drainage of soil, which could affect the growth of crops and other plants.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How North Carolina Trash Traps Could Help Inform Policy
Staff and volunteers at Waterkeepers collected and categorized more than 150,000 pieces of trash from the state’s waterways, the vast majority of which were plastic.