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Author: Erin Markham

Erin received her B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Rhode Island in 2010 and is currently working towards her Masters at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography. Her current research involves persistent organic pollutants in the Atlantic Ocean.
Biology Coastal Management Ecology Fisheries Human impacts Policy Pollution

The Ghastly Impacts of Ghost Fishing Gear

Derelict fishing traps, or DFTs, are abandoned traps that may still be actively capturing marine organisms, in a phenomenon known…
August 27, 2014August 29, 2014 Erin Markham
Biology Chemistry Fisheries Hazards Human impacts Pollution

The Hairy Truth: Using Grizzly Bear hair to study mercury levels

A large portion of the North American Grizzly Bear population call Western Canada home. The diet of these bears ranges…
August 8, 2014August 8, 2014 Erin Markham
Biogeochemistry Coastal Management

I plead the soil amendment – Improving the function of restored wetlands

Wetlands provide valuable services to humans every day, including flood protection, water purification, and shoreline stabilization to name a few.…
June 30, 2014 Erin Markham
Biogeochemistry Chemistry Ecology Hazards Human impacts Pollution

Time for an oil change: How filter feeders avoid feeding on oil

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Here, a pair of researchers investigates the…
May 30, 2014May 30, 2014 Erin Markham
Biogeochemistry Chemistry Pollution

On a mission to partition: the likelihood of flame retardants to bind to marine organic matter

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants found in the environment all over the globe, including the Arctic. Here, scientists…
May 2, 2014May 2, 2014 Erin Markham
Aquaculture Biology Chemistry Fisheries Hazards Human impacts Pollution

Increasing fiber in your diet… microplastic fibers, that is

Microplastics constitute the large majority of plastic pollution in our global oceans. Microplastic fibers are small fibers that might not…
April 8, 2014April 8, 2014 Erin Markham
Biogeochemistry Chemistry Human impacts

Sticking to it – Sediments act as a “sink” for pollution

POPs, or persistent organic pollutants, are manmade chemicals that don’t break down in the environment and are found nearly everywhere…
March 5, 2014March 6, 2014 Erin Markham
Biology Fisheries

The Grit in the Oyster – Pearl Farming in French Polynesia

French Polynesia produces a large majority of the world's Tahitian cultured pearls and is at the center of the multi-million…
February 6, 2014February 6, 2014 Erin Markham
Biology Fisheries Human impacts

Hitchin’ a Ride – The Risks of Ballast Water Exchange

Ballast water transfers occur in or near major ports all the time to keep up with the demands of global…
January 2, 2014January 2, 2014 Erin Markham
Biology Chemistry

Is the Oil Sands Industry in Canada Linked to Mercury Levels in Birds?

The oil or "tar" sands in Alberta, Canada are the third largest known reserves of accessible oil in the world.…
November 26, 2013November 26, 2013 Erin Markham
Biology Chemistry

Disconcerting trends of pollutants in the Scandinavian Otter Population

Fluorinated compounds are an emerging class of persistent pollutants that have a global presence in the environment, biota, and humans,…
October 23, 2013October 23, 2013 Erin Markham

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