Sep 21, 2017

Rebecca Sutton, Meg Sedlak, and Diana Lin of SFEI, in partnership with Carolynn Box of 5 Gyres, conducted ocean water sampling associated with an ambitious project. The project is focused on determining the characteristics and fate of microplastics in the Bay and adjacent ocean waters.

KQED reporter Lindsey Hoshaw published a story covering the team's activities along the California coast. After determinng that the Bay has greater than expected microplastic pollution, the science team, as reported by Hoshaw's story, is conducting further ground-breaking research: 

 

 

 

 

 

The next phase of the Microplastic Project is to make a more conclusive measurement of how much microplastic is in the Bay and where it travels.

“We honestly don’t know where they’re going,” says Meg Sedlak, a senior program manager with the San Francisco Estuary Institute. “We aspire to address that with our modeling.” The Institute is a nonprofit research center focused on the Bay, Delta, and wetlands.

The article was also associated with a companion KQED radio story.

We welcome you to read about this important research and listen to the microplastics sampling adventure on the "high seas." 

By: 
Lindsey Hoshaw
Associated Staff: 
Other Contributors: 
5 Gyres
Programs and Focus Areas: 
Clean Water Program
Microplastics