August 22, 2023

NOAA: Sail & Explore Association Partnership Expands Microplastics Database

NOAA: Sail & Explore Association Partnership Expands Microplastics Database. “The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) archives data collected by a variety of scientists and institutions. The partnership between NCEI and nonprofit organization Sail & Explore Association has improved and expanded the Marine Microplastics database. The goal of this partnership is to not only expand the database, but to establish a diverse international community of public users and data providers.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
April 21, 2023

NOAA: New Oceaneye Partnership Brings Expansion to Microplastics Database

NOAA: New Oceaneye Partnership Brings Expansion to Microplastics Database. “NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and non-profit organization Oceaneye have created a partnership to improve and expand the Marine Microplastics database. The objective of this partnership is to not only expand the database, but to also establish a diverse international community of public users.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
May 9, 2022

Global Plastic Watch: Satellite Eyes Pinpoint Waste From Space to Reduce Ocean Pollution (BusinessWire) (PRESS RELEASE)

BusinessWire: Global Plastic Watch: Satellite Eyes Pinpoint Waste From Space to Reduce Ocean Pollution (PRESS RELEASE). “Global Plastic Watch (globalplasticwatch.org) is a tool which combines earth observation with artificial intelligence to create the first-ever near-real-time high-resolution map of plastic pollution. This is the largest open-source dataset of plastic waste across dozens of countries.”

New Resources 0
November 25, 2021

New York Times: Cities Are Not Only Tackling Covid, But Its Pollution, Too

New York Times: Cities Are Not Only Tackling Covid, But Its Pollution, Too. “P.P.E. litter is fouling landscapes across the globe. Dirtied masks and gloves tumbleweed across city parks, streets and shores in Lima, Toronto, Hong Kong and beyond. Researchers in Nanjing, China, and La Jolla, Calif., recently calculated that 193 countries have generated more than 8 million tons of pandemic-related plastic waste, and the advocacy group OceansAsia estimated that as many as 1.5 billion face masks could wind up in the marine environment in a single year.”

COVID-19 0
November 12, 2021

CNET: Over 25,000 tons of COVID-19 plastic waste is now in the ocean

CNET: Over 25,000 tons of COVID-19 plastic waste is now in the ocean. “Researchers have used models to determine that, as of late August, 193 countries collectively produced more than 8 million tons of pandemic-related plastic waste, ranging from masks and hospital equipment to packaging from online shopping generated by increased interest in no-contact purchases. According to the study, to be published Nov 23 in the journal PNAS, over 25,000 tons of that plastic have ended up in the world’s ocean, endangering marine animals. ”

COVID-19 0
October 20, 2021

Life’s a beach: finding trends in marine debris across Australia (University of New South Wales)

University of New South Wales: Life’s a beach: finding trends in marine debris across Australia. “More than 2000 organisations and 150,000 citizen scientists have participated in the Australian Marine Debris Initiative [AMDI] by sorting and tallying up marine debris they have collected since it was set up by the not-for-profit Tangaroa Blue Foundation in 2004. Now a study led by UNSW Science has filtered and analysed 10 years of the AMDI Database and created a national map of patterns in marine debris.”

Research & Opinion 0
June 8, 2021

CNET: Preserving the future of our oceans through underwater mapping

CNET: Preserving the future of our oceans through underwater mapping. “Schmidt scientists sail the world on a research vessel called the Falkor, equipped with a wealth of scientific gear, including echosounders, a blimp for aerial observations, and a remotely operated vehicle named SuBastian. Capable of diving as deep as 4,500 meters, SuBastian features several high-definition video cameras and is designed to be modular, which lets operators customize the proprietary ROV for each mission.”

Research & Opinion 0
May 18, 2021

EurekAlert: Social media and science show how ship’s plastic cargo dispersed from Florida to Norway

EurekAlert: Social media and science show how ship’s plastic cargo dispersed from Florida to Norway. “A ship’s container lost overboard in the North Atlantic has resulted in printer cartridges washing up everywhere from the coast of Florida to northern Norway, a new study has shown. It has also resulted in the items weathering to form microplastics that are contaminated with a range of metals such as titanium, iron and copper.”

Research & Opinion 0
April 24, 2021

Duke University: New Webpage Highlights 52 Technologies to Fight Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans

This is from November, but I just found it and it’s so cool I’m exceptioning it in. Duke University: New Webpage Highlights 52 Technologies to Fight Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans. “Duke University researchers have created a new online resource designed to help local governments, conservation groups, businesses and other stakeholders identify the best technologies to clean up plastic pollution in our oceans or prevent it from getting there in the first place. The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Collection Technology Inventory includes 52 different technologies, from solar-powered catamarans that use conveyor belts to scoop up floating debris, to underwater bubble tubes that force submerged bits of plastic to the surface where they can more easily be collected.”

New Resources 0
April 8, 2021

AP: Discarded masks litter beaches worldwide, threaten sea life

AP: Discarded masks litter beaches worldwide, threaten sea life. “Discarded masks and gloves started showing up on beaches not long after the virus began circulating widely last year, and continued to appear as quarantine-weary people sought an escape at the beach. In the second half of 2020, more than 107,000 items of PPE were collected by volunteers around the world according to the Ocean Conservancy group — a figure its members believe is a vast undercount of the year’s true totals.”

COVID-19 0
June 27, 2020

Fast Company: Masks, gloves, and other coronavirus waste are starting to fill up our oceans

Fast Company: Masks, gloves, and other coronavirus waste are starting to fill up our oceans. “It’s not news that our trash eventually finds its way to the ocean. Because oceans are downstream, litter will eventually find a pathway into our bodies of water if it’s not discarded properly—and often even if it is. But as the COVID-19 crisis slowly generates a new kind of waste, made up of disposable masks and other PPE items, it’s posing new problems for the Earth’s oceans. The flood of PPE could cause immediate danger to wildlife and long-term plastic pollution that threatens to contaminate food supplies.”

COVID-19 0
December 19, 2019

Green Queen: Hydro-Powered Search Engine Ekoru Helps Divert Ocean Waste With Every Browse

Green Queen: Hydro-Powered Search Engine Ekoru Helps Divert Ocean Waste With Every Browse. “Ekoru, a new hydro-electric powered search engine lets you browse the internet while helping clean ocean waste and keeping users’ data private. Founded this year by Australian techie Ati Bakush, Ekoru dedicates 60% of its revenue to climate change charities involved in animal welfare, reforestation and ocean conservation.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
July 1, 2019

Florida International University: Citizen scientists collect vital data on microplastics – from their yachts

Florida International University: Citizen scientists collect vital data on microplastics – from their yachts. “As part of a new collaborative project, dubbed the S.A.R.A.H. initiative, privately owned yachts become platforms for FIU scientists to conduct field research. Special nets are towed behind the vessels to gather samples of plastic debris in the water. They are designed to collect even the tiniest bits of plastic – that can be smaller than a grain of rice – known as microplastics.”

Research & Opinion 0
February 13, 2019

Sea Grant North Carolina: New Mapping Tool Identifies Sites for Re-establishing Oyster Reefs

Sea Grant North Carolina: New Mapping Tool Identifies Sites for Re-establishing Oyster Reefs. “Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a mapping tool that identifies sites for re-establishing oyster reefs that maximize their ecological benefits — such as water filtration. This Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based tool could inform restoration of other vital, sensitive coastal habitats.”

Research & Opinion 0

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