IS34B:
Identification and Quantification of Plastic Particle Pollution and Its Impact on the Environment Posters


Session ID#: 28262

Session Description:
Microplastic particles (characterized as < 1 mm in size) have been reported in marine ecosystems worldwide and are the subject of growing concern. Despite the ubiquity of plastic particles in the environment, the extent of this pollutant is not well characterized.  Water-column collection, identification and quantification methodologies are urgently needed to both ground-truth the many sweeping estimates and statements made about marine plastic and to refine needed studies assessing the potential environmental impacts of plastic particle pollution.  Plastic pieces readily weather and fragment into smaller particles, increasing surface area relative to volume. Plastic particles hyper-accumulate persistent organic pollutants and other trace contaminants. Additives such as flame retardants may also play a large role in animal exposure to contaminants resulting in food web perturbation. This poster session will present groundbreaking research on plastic particle detection methodologies used for detection in fish tissue, water and sediment samples and will highlight international efforts to select and develop best technologies for remote and in-situ plastic particle observation. The session will present the latest in development of deployable sensors and platforms, including remote sensing and proxy imaging applications for observing plastic particles and predicting their behavior, creating a systems approach to understanding this environmental problem.
Primary Chair:  Harry Allen, US EPA, Region 9, San Francisco, CA, United States
Co-chairs:  William Robberson, US EPA, Region 9, San Francisco, CA, United States and Anna-Marie Cook, US EPA, Office of Research and Development, San Francisco, CA, United States
Moderators:  Harry Allen, US EPA, Region 9, San Francisco, CA, United States and William Robberson, US EPA, Region 9, San Francisco, CA, United States
Student Paper Review Liaison:  Anna-Marie Cook, US EPA, Region 9, San Francisco, CA, United States
Index Terms:

4251 Marine pollution [OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL]
4264 Ocean optics [OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL]
4803 Analytical chemistry [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL]
9820 Techniques applicable in three or more fields [GENERAL OR MISCELLANEOUS]
Cross-Topics:
  • CT - Chemical Tracers, Organic Matter and Trace Elements
  • ES - Ecology and Social Interactions
  • ED - Education, Outreach and Policy
  • OD - Ocean Data Management

Abstracts Submitted to this Session:

Harry Nelson, Fluid Imaging Technologies, Engineering, Scarborough, ME, United States, Madlyn Woods, Maine Environmental Research Center, ME, United States, Claudia Lorenz, Alfred Wegner Institute, Germany, Gunnar Gerdts, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Bremerhaven, Germany, David Fields, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United States, Paty Matrai, Bigelow Lab for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United States and Michelle Devoe, Fluid Imaging Technologies, Scarborough, ME, United States
Scott M Gallager, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States and Wade R McGillis, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United States
Jane L Guentzel1, Meghan Richard2 and Dana Orr2, (1)Coastal Carolina University, Department of Marine Science, Conway, SC, United States, (2)Coastal Carolina University, Marine Science, Conway, SC, United States
Dillon Elizabeth King, George Eric Boneillo and Jane L Guentzel, Coastal Carolina University, Department of Marine Science, Conway, SC, United States
Thamasak - Yeemin, Makamas Sutthacheep, Sittiporn Pengsakun, Wanlaya Klinthong, Watchara Samsuvan and Charernmee Chamchoy, Ramkhamhaeng University, Department of Biology, Bangkok, Thailand
Kevin Mindiola1, Karem Ramirez1, Jose Fernando Pontón-Cevallos1, Rafael Bermúdez2, Luis Dominguez-Granda3, Paola Almeida4 and Peter Goethals5, (1)Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Guayaquil, Ecuador, (2)Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ingeniería Marítima, Ciencias Biológicas, Oceánicas y Recursos Naturales, Ecuador, (3)Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Centro de Agua y Desarrollo Sustentable, Ecuador, (4)Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Ecuador, (5)Ghent University, Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Gent, Belgium