NASA Satellite Lets Scientists Track Ocean Microplastics From Space
Scientists from the University of Michigan have developed an innovative way to use NASA satellite data to track the movement of tiny pieces of plastic…
Microplastics News
Tracking Ocean Microplastics From Space – See the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Like Never Before
Satellites reveal ocean microplastic fluctuation in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and releases from the Yangtze River in China. An estimated eight million tons of…
Bacteria-Sized Metallic Robots Take On Microplastics – And Win by Breaking Them Down
Small pieces of plastic are everywhere, stretching from urban environments to pristine wilderness. Left to their own devices, it can take hundreds of years for…
Science and Social Media Show How Ship’s Plastic Cargo Dispersed From Florida to Norway
A ship’s container lost overboard in the North Atlantic has resulted in printer cartridges washing up everywhere from the coast of Florida to northern Norway,…
Microplastics Found in Europe’s Largest Ice Cap – In a Remote and Pristine Area of Vatnajökull Glacier
In a recent article in Sustainability, scientists from Reykjavik University (RU), the University of Gothenburg, and the Icelandic Meteorological Office describe their finding of microplastic…
Plastic Pollution in the Deep Sea: A Geological Perspective on a Global Problem
A new focus article in the May issue of Geology summarizes research on plastic waste in marine and sedimentary environments. Authors I.A. Kane of the Univ. of…
Microbiologists Have Found a Way to Use Bacteria to Remove Microplastics From the Environment
Microbiologists have found a way to use bacteria to trap microplastics, removing them from the environment and making them easier to recycle. Today at the…
Polymer-Eating Enzymes Make “Biodegradable” Plastics Truly Compostable
Polymer-eating enzymes embedded in plastic allow programmed degradation. Biodegradable plastics have been advertised as one solution to the plastic pollution problem bedeviling the world, but…
Microplastics Turn Into “Hubs” for Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Pathogens
It’s estimated that an average-sized wastewater treatment plant serving roughly 400,000 residents will discharge up to 2,000,000 microplastic particles into the environment each day. Yet,…
Plastic Pollution Is Everywhere: Research Reveals How It Travels
Plastic pollution is ubiquitous today, with microplastic particles from disposable goods found in natural environments throughout the globe, including Antarctica. But how those particles move…
Microplastics in Our Drinking Water – Significant Source of Microplastics in Human Diet
Emerging environmental contaminants, both chemicals, and particulates, have been a concern for risk scientists for many years. Methods for reducing health and environmental risks from…
Mount Everest: Microplastics in the Death Zone
Scientists have identified the highest recorded microplastics ever found on Earth — at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters (26,000 feet), close to the…
Researchers Separate Microparticles Based on Their Shape
Scientists in Delft have developed a technique for selectively separating microparticles in a liquid on the basis of their shape. The technique calculates precisely the…
Plastic Flow Into Ocean Expected to Triple by 2040, But Action Could Stem Tide More Than 80%
Research lays out viable pathway to “break the plastic wave.” A new analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ finds that without immediate and…
Devices Can Reduce Fibers Produced From Washing Machines by Up to 80%
Using fiber-catching devices as part of the laundry process can dramatically reduce the amount of microscopic particles potentially entering the marine environment, according to new…
Each Year More Than 1000 Tons of Plastic Rains on Western US Protected Lands
Microplastic particles and fibers spiral through the Earth system, accumulating even in protected wilderness areas and national parks in the western US. Utah State University…
The Missing 99%? Highest Ever Level of Microplastics Found on Seafloor
An international research project has revealed the highest levels of microplastic ever recorded on the seafloor, with up to 1.9 million pieces in a thin…
Increasingly Mobile Sea Ice Risks Polluting Arctic Neighbors With Oil and Microplastics
The movement of sea ice between Arctic countries is expected to significantly increase this century. The movement of sea ice between Arctic countries is expected…
