Plastic

The Plastic Playtime Tragedy: How whales and dolphins fall victim to plastic pollution

Whales and dolphins are curious and playful animals but may not always recognise the potential risks associated with plastics

Human Health Plastic

Threatening threads

We eat microfibers with our sea food. This can’t be good.

Plastic Pollution

Timeless Trash Takes Center Stage?

Kaandorp, M.L.A., Lobelle, D., Kehl, C. et al. Global mass of buoyant marine plastics dominated by large long-lived debris. Nat. Geosci. 16, 689–694 (2023).…

Plastic Pollution

One man’s trash is not the ocean’s treasure

Marine plastics couldn’t actually get into the areas we deem as pristine. Right?

Plastic Pollution

Oh I do like to see inside the sea birds

How to look inside sea birds to find plastics… without hurting them?

Plastic Pollution

Microplastic, macro problem: Microplastics discovered in fishes from remote coral reefs in the South China Sea

Scientists quantify microplastics in various species of coral reef fishes from the Xisha Islands.

deep sea Human impacts Plastic

Lebensspuren and müllspuren – the way trash is changing the sea floor

Artifacts from the deepest parts of earth are being shaped - literally - by plastic bags

Microbiology Plastic

Can we use bacteria to help clean up plastic in the ocean?

A "microbiosphere" could be engineered to introduce plastic-degrading bacteria to marine plastic pollution, but many questions still remain.

Plastic

Chemicals released from plastic disrupt marine microbes

We know how plastic pieces affect ocean life, but do we think enough about “invisible” chemicals from plastic?

Plastic Pollution

How much lost fishing gear contributes to ocean pollution each year?

A realistic global estimate for derelict fishing gear in our oceans.

Plastic Pollution

Life in plastic: Harmful bacteria and algae may hide in ocean plastic waste

Researchers from North Carolina investigate how many microbes can thrive inside a plastic bottle. Their findings may surprise you!

Plastic Pollution

Searching for microplastics: Scientists find a ‘missing’ piece

Researchers at FAU collected microplastics at different depths in the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. What they found will alter global…

Plastic Pollution

When microplastics go marshing in: A tale of two tidal marsh birds

As microplastic pollution continues to threaten coastal biodiversity, this study confirms its presence in tidal marsh birds.

Human impacts Plastic Pollution

Can citizen science improve marine debris monitoring efforts?

Public cleanup efforts should be useful for monitoring debris on our coastlines, but these efforts can lead to low-quality data…

Plastic Pollution

Mitigating microplastic pollution through ballast water treatment

By making a small change to existing ballast water treatment systems, we have a chance to tackle microplastic pollution.

Plastic

Scratching the surface: Microplastic distribution in the surface layer of the world’s ocean

Researchers have developed a dataset of microplastics in the ocean surface waters across the globe.

Biodiversity Biological oceanography Biology Human impacts Plastic Science Communication

Are Diseases in Ocean Ecosystems Increasing?

Citation: Ward JR, Lafferty KD (2004) The Elusive Baseline of Marine Disease: Are Diseases in Ocean Ecosystems Increasing? PLoS Biol…

Plastic

Incidental Ingestion: Do fishes intentionally swallow microplastics?

Microplastics in our oceans are a growing problem, but how do fishes investigate and interact with these particles?

Biology Chemistry Hazards Human Health Plastic Pollution

How many microplastics are in your body? An insight into lifetime accumulation

Microscopic plastics have been found anywhere and everywhere, including in the food we eat. With plastic pollution on the rise,…

Plastic Pollution

Let them eat plastic – Animals eating microplastic could choke the ocean

Plastic pollution may bring to mind big images - dead birds, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and beaches filled with…