Collaborate Disseminate
The impact of plastic on the many species that call the ocean home is a huge unknown, but scientists are starting to piece together the kinds of risks this pollution poses to the marine ecosystem. The latest finding in this area concerns a common seafo… Continue reading Mussels that clump together in reefs may ingest triple the plastic
Millions of metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean each year, but beyond that, we have little idea where much of it ultimately winds up. Researchers working to trace its path through the marine environment have discovered the highest concentratio… Continue reading Scientist unearth record amount of microplastics on the seafloor
One of the grave problems with plastic waste in the ocean is not just the mess it creates today, but the mess it might leave for centuries to come. Scientists at Cornell University have been working on more environmentally friendly forms of plastic for… Continue reading New type of marine plastic degrades quickly under ultraviolet light
There is a lot to learn about how plastic waste moves through the marine environment, but researchers are continually coming up with new ways of tracking its path. A study by scientists in Italy has shone a light on the way lobsters digest plastic part… Continue reading Lobsters found to grind plastics down into “secondary microplastics”
While we know that a huge amount of plastic waste is building up in the oceans, what we don’t know a lot about is where it ends up, and what exactly it means for marine ecosystems. After studying the stomach contents of thousands of animals, scientists… Continue reading Study calculates the size of plastic waste marine animals can stomach
Whether it’s entangling marine animals, clogging their guts when they eat it, or forming giant floating “garbage patches,” oceanic plastic waste is a huge problem. There may be new hope however, in the form of what is claimed to be a better type of mar… Continue reading Plant-based plastic biodegrades in the ocean
There is a whole lot of plastic pouring into the ocean every day, and whole lot we don’t know about the damage it causes. Looking to fill in these blanks is a team of Duke University scientists, who have found that fish subjected to high concentrations… Continue reading Microplastics found to cause aneurysms, reproductive changes in fish
After a stint on the sidelines, The Ocean Cleanup Project is bouncing back into action following a few upgrades to its trash-catching system. The team was forced to haul in its huge floating barriers for repairs earlier in the year, and now a… Continue reading Take two: Upgraded Ocean Cleanup barrier returns to take on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch