Coastal Export and Fate of Microplastics in the Southern California Bight

… The University of California at Riverside and partners will investigate the source and pathways of microplastics, using modeling and field measurements of …
Research   California   04/15/2025 - 10:39

Citizen Scientists Research and Prevent Microplastics in Florida

… Florida Sea Grant and the NOAA Marine Debris Program partnered to create a network of citizen scientists across Florida to study microplastics and lead education and outreach events. Type …
Prevention   Florida   04/17/2025 - 15:42

Microplastics

… Our ocean and Great Lakes are polluted with a wide variety of marine … from large fishing nets and abandoned vessels, down to the smallest plastic particles that can’t be seen with the naked eye. These microplastics are found throughout the ocean and Great …
What is Marine Debris?   02/07/2023 - 07:45

Understanding the Sources and Pathways of Marine Debris Entering Lake Ontario

… Rochester Institute of Technology is working to understand the sources of marine debris in Lake Ontario, how it moves, … , the Town of Brighton , Monroe County Department of Environmental Services , and DiMarco Group are assisting …
Research   Great Lakes   04/15/2025 - 15:48

Selective Ingestion of Microplastics by Oysters: Exposure Assessment as a Predictive Tool for Assessing the Environmental Risk to Commercially-Important Bivalves

… Scientists at the University of Connecticut are conducting field and laboratory studies to determine the types and concentrations of microplastics ingested by oysters, how the characteristics …
Research   Northeast   05/23/2022 - 10:08

Detecting Microplastics in the Marine Environment

… Scientists from the University of Washington Tacoma and George Mason University worked to isolate and quantify microplastics in water and sediment samples and to compare …
Research   09/13/2022 - 17:06

Tracking Microplastics in the Choptank River Watershed

… The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is examining the role marshes and … River to the Chesapeake Bay. By measuring the amount of microplastics in the waters and sediments in these …
Research   Mid-Atlantic   05/02/2024 - 20:43

Missing Marine Debris? Understanding the Sources of Marine Debris in the San Diego River

… San Diego State University is conducting a study to understand and compare the amount of debris entering the San Diego River from … from and the pathways through which debris may enter the environment. Much research to date has focused on how debris …
Research   California   04/15/2025 - 10:38

Understanding the Fate and Transport of Microplastics at Buoyant River Outflows

… Rutgers University will study the movement of microplastics down the Delaware River to the confluence with Delaware Bay, and determine the role this mixing area may play as the …
Research   Mid-Atlantic   06/12/2024 - 19:07

Do microplastics increase disease susceptibility in rainbow trout?

… Virginia Institute of Marine Science and partners will examine whether microplastic ingestion increases disease susceptibility … laboratory experiments to examine the relationship between microplastics and disease susceptibility in rainbow trout.  …
Research   Mid-Atlantic   08/11/2023 - 14:50

A Screening-Level Ecological Risk Assessment for Microplastics in Seafood in American Samoa

… University used a risk assessment framework to quantify microplastics in water, sediment, and invertebrates at three sites in American Samoa, as well as assess the types and concentrations of organic contaminants in the …
Research   Pacific Islands   04/14/2022 - 14:59

Health

… We know marine debris can cause problems for wildlife and the places they live, but it can also potentially affect the … largely unknown. Is there plastic in our food and water? Microplastics , or tiny pieces of plastic 5 mm and smaller, …
Why is Marine Debris a Problem?   12/21/2022 - 19:11

Risk from Microplastics Exposure to Blue Crab Larvae in Delaware Bay and Coastal Waters

… Researchers from the University of Delaware are evaluating the effects microplastics have on blue crab larvae at different developmental stages and will test whether exposure during these stages impacts …
Research   Mid-Atlantic   08/11/2023 - 14:50

Garbage Patches

… What and Where Are Garbage Patches? Garbage patches are large areas of the ocean where litter, fishing gear, and other debris - … ranges in size, from large abandoned fishing nets to tiny microplastics , which are plastic pieces smaller than 5mm in …
Discover Marine Debris   07/23/2024 - 13:32

Microplastic Ingestion by the Black Sea Bass, Centropristis striata: An Assessment of Potential Impacts on the Health of an Atlantic Commercial Fish Species

… are investigating if black sea bass consume contaminated microplastics in the wild, and if microplastics and associated contaminants are …
Research   Southeast   08/14/2023 - 15:31