A radar for plastic: High-resolution map to track plastic emissions in seas


“The unprecedented plastic waste tide plaguing our oceans and shores, can become as limited as our chosen relationship with plastics, which involves a dramatic behavioral change on our part…”
Captions and Photo: © SAF — Coastal Care

Excerpts;

Scientists at the Tokyo University of Science, developed a new method to combat plastic emissions. In a study published in Water, they generated a high-resolution map of 1 km grids of plastic emissions across Japan.

Unlike previous studies, this study does not assume that the plastic waste is only proportional to mismanaged plastic waste but, in fact, takes into account the origin of plastic emissions. This makes it easier to implement measures and curb plastic emissions in specific areas…

Read Full Article, PhysOrg (05-07-2020)

Scientists find highest ever level of microplastics on seafloor, PhysOrg (04-30-2020)

Microplastics pollute most remote and uncharted areas of the ocean; Guardian UK (02-12-2018)

Plastic Pollution: When The Mermaids Cry, The Great Plastic Tide, Coastal Care
Washed out on our coasts in obvious and clearly visible form, the plastic pollution spectacle blatantly unveiling on our beaches is only the prelude of the greater story that unfolded further away in the world’s oceans, yet mostly originating from where we stand: the land…

Beach cleanups are missing millions of pieces of plastic; National Geographic (05-16-2019)
In the last decade, beach cleanups have grown into a global phenomenon, with volunteers gathering at regular intervals for the Sisyphean task of cleaning up plastic trash. Now, a new research suggests that beach cleanups can inadvertently mask the full scale of plastic pollution, much of which lies below the sand’s surface…

To clean up ocean plastics, increase focus on coasts, Science Daily (01-19-2016)
The most efficient way to clean up ocean plastics and avoid harming ecosystems is to place plastic collectors near coasts, according to a new study…

Loving the Ocean Starts at Home, National Geographic (09-08-2016)

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