From the Arctic to the Antarctic, Microplastics are pervasive in the Ocean

Luis Ernesto Medina Faull, Ph.D. student, will share what the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University is doing to tackle microplastic pollution. These abundant micro-sized particles (diameters range from less than 0.001 to 5 mm) are either derived from the breakdown of larger plastic items or are intentionally manufactured (e.g., cosmetic microbeads, industrial pellets). Once they enter the ocean through rivers, sewage discharge, and surface runoff, MPs move vertically and laterally along the coast and circulate into the open ocean. Oceanic MPs then bind toxic chemicals and enter the food chain. They are also unintentionally included in fundamental studies of movement, chemical transformation, and storage of natural carbon in the ocean, all of which are huge concerns in the climate change community. 

This lecture is FREE with Lighthouse admission.