Citizen Science Workshop: Marine Microplastics
Call me a nerd, but I love the sound of looking at tiny anchovy gill rakers under a microscope in search of microplastics.
Of all of the reasons why people want to live on the coast, access to a marine education and research facility is probably low on the list. Savannah, however is lucky to be the home of both quaint beaches for sunbathing and swimming, as well as the University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. And if you’re concerned about marine microplastics and you’re into citizen science like me, you’re extra lucky.
Recently I attended the pilot session of UGA Marine Education Center’s Microplastics & Marine Debris Class and Lab. UGA’s Marine Extension is host to community outreach and education with the intent of enhancing the coast’s sustainability. For years, they have been instructing schoolchildren and educators. This class was one of the first times that Marine Educator, Dodie Sanders, had the opportunity to guide a group of mostly civilian adults through a two hour lecture and lab. I, for one, had not so much as touched a microscope in twenty four years. I’d say that makes Dodie one brave educator.
So what exactly are microplastics?
If you spend any time on social media or watching the news, it might be hard to imagine a time when there was no plastic on our planet. According to Sanders, you would have to travel back to 1910 to find a time when there was no plastic in our oceans. Today, plastics can be found everywhere – in the air, floating in massive plastic islands in the ocean gyres created by currents across our planet and alarmingly, in our bodies.
But the existence and definition of microplastics is not yet on everyone’s radar. Technically, a microplastic is any piece of plastic less than 5 millimeters long.
By now, we have all heard the scary statistics: In 2018, 10 billion plastic bottles were produced. If nothing changes, by 2021 500 billion plastic bottles will be produced. (According to Greenpeace International.) In 2015, a major study done by a group of scientists from UGA, UC Santa Barbara and the Sea Education Association, revealed that only 9% of all plastic waste created was recycled. 12% was incinerated. The rest, sadly still exists today in landfills or in our natural environment and is all on its way to becoming microplastic.
“50% of the plastic that has ever existed was made in the last 13 years…”
Eriksen, Lebreton, et al
Plastic debris in our oceans is typically classified by its size. Macroplastics are larger than 200 millimeters and include common items like large plastic bottles and jugs and things like flip flops. Mesoplastics range from 200 millimeters in size to 4.76 millimeters and include things like straws, toothbrushes, and broken pieces of larger macroplastics. Large microplastics range in size from 4.75 millimeters to 1.01 millimeters and are typically visible to the naked eye. The smallest microplastics range from 1.00 millimeters to 0.33 millimeters and typically can only be seen under a microscope, making them extremely easy for fish and other marine organisms to ingest.
Microplastics enter our environment in a few different ways. One of the primary ways these tiny plastics are released is due to industrial accidents.
Nurdles are very small pellets of plastic that are used as the raw material for manufacturing all types of plastics. These are often shipped via ocean freight containers. Occasionally, freighters are hit by massive storms and can spill their cargo into the ocean. One devastating example of this was in 2012 when a typhoon hit an container ship carrying 165 tons of plastic nurdles produced by a Chinese manufacturer, Sinopec. Countless tiny white pellets washed onto the shores of Hong Kong. The nurdles resemble fish eggs and are ingested by birds, fish, marine mammals and invertebrates, and then travel up the food chain, eventually leading to humans.
Another source of microplastic pollution are microfibers. Any textile made with synthetic thread that has a diameter of less that one decimeter is classified as a microfiber. Examples of synthetic fiber are rayon, nylon and polyester. It is important to note that not all synthetic fabrics are microfibers.
During normal wear and washing, microfibers shed microscopic threads into the air and into the water supply.
These microfibers are extremely hard to capture, but not impossible, as demonstrated by The Cora Ball, which claims to be the world’s first microfiber catching “tool”. The Cora Ball is designed to be tossed in with laundry. They catch the tiny microfiber threads in their coils and prevent it from finding its way into waterways and the ocean.
We recently purchased a Cora Ball and will be sharing more about it on the blog, so stay tuned!
Another way that microplastics have been released into our environment is from microbeads that were added to facial cleansers as an exfoliant. Thankfully the use of microbeads has been banned, but the innumerable quantities that were released into waste water and into our environment still exist and are extremely difficult to remove due to their size.
Finally, microplastics found in our environment can come from the degradation of larger pieces of plastic from mechanical forces in the ocean and marine environment. Exposure to sunlight, wave action or being broken down by organisms through boring, tearing or shredding break plastics down into smaller and smaller pieces.
There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the oceans. 92% are microplastics.
Eriksen, lebreton, et. al
I’m guessing by now, we’ve all seen this photograph of a partially decomposed albatross chick revealing a stomach filled with large pieces of plastic, including a disposable lighter.
The actual physical and chemical effects of microplastics on organisms are far more gruesome than any photo. Microplastics are ingested in all sea creatures from zooplankton to crustaceans and bivalves right on up to fish, sea birds and marine mammals. Research has shown that ingestion of plastic can affect steroid hormone levels, cause reproductive failure, delay growth, cause digestive blockages and cause death.
Aside from biological impacts, microplastics have social and economic impacts as well. Unhealthy fish populations result in a loss of seafood harvests for the fishing industry. Floating masses of plastic debris in the ocean can cause major damage to ships’ propellors causing disruptions in the shipping industry. Plastic tides washing ashore on beaches across the world result in a loss of tourism and can negatively impact human health.
It’s time to put on our citizen scientist hats and see for ourselves just how serious the microplastic problem is.
The Anchovy Lab
The lab that Dodie Sanders of the UGA Marine Education Center led was straightforward and the conclusions were impactful. Bay anchovies (anchor mitchilli) are surface feeders and are a common source for a lot of other fish.
Anchovies have specialized gills that can trap many microplastics present in the water and what passes through the gill rakers would obviously be present in the stomach.
Attendees were instructed on how to remove the gill rakers and the stomachs of the anchovy samples and to look for microplastic films and/or fibers under a microscope.
The lab technique we performed is not the most effective way to detect microplastics in organisms. The way the “real scientists” perform this research involves some pretty serious chemicals and a lot more time. After more than two decades of being nowhere near a lab, or an emergency eye wash for that matter, I was okay with not handling hazardous chemicals.
My lab partner and I were earnest, if a bit rusty in our lab skills. With some guidance from Dodie, we were able to identify one plastic fiber in the gill rakers of one of our anchovy samples. We had a brief moment to also take look at some water samples collected from several areas around Savannah – Tybee Island, Skidaway Island, and Wilmington Island. These water samples are a part of an ongoing study being conducted by the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography which is working to detect microplastics in the water, sediment and biota of the Georgia coast.
The microplastic pieces in the water samples were much easier to identify for my novice eyes. Due to the fact that it can be difficult to tell the difference between organic matter, sand and a microplastic, identifying the plastic in fish can be tricky. If you take a look at the lab results board photo above, you can see that the findings were a bit random. Some lab teams had anchovies loaded with microplastics in both their gill rakers and their stomachs. Other teams’ anchovy samples had no microplastics visible. These results are not entirely conclusive due to the crude method of the lab and the, err, perhaps lack of experience of the lab participants.
What can be concluded is that we found microplastics that day in both the organisms we dissected and in the water samples taken from around Savannah.
What can we do to solve the microplastic problem?
The Proactive Approach
There are two types of approaches to solving our plastic pollution problem – proactive and reactive. The proactive approach tackles the marine debris and microplastics issue at its source and makes the biggest and most immediate impact.
Governments and individuals must enforce proper waste managements to prevent the unintentional or neglectful release of microplastics into our watersheds and oceans.
Legislation banning certain types of plastics, specifically single-use plastics like plastic grocery and shopping bags needs to be put into place worldwide. The elimination of certain types of plastics such as single-use plastics should be a global goal.
Each of us bear the responsibility of using our voices and our spending dollars to express our desire for the elimination of single-use plastics in common consumer goods.
We can do so by refusing to purchase goods packaged in single-use packaging or containers, by choosing and using reusable items instead like refillable water bottles and reusable grocery and reusable produce and bulk bin bags.
We can also do so by taking part in citizen activist movements like signing petitions written to brands and retailers requesting an end to their use of single use plastics. A Million Acts of Blue is a great resource for anyone looking for impactful ways to take action in the fight against plastic pollution. Join our members-only Facebook group We Can Beat Plastic Pollution where members share, discuss and inspire one another to do their own “little bit of good” in their corner of the world.
The Reactive Approach
Reactive approaches to plastic pollution and microplastics include taking part in litter cleanups and recycling.
Check with your municipal waste management or recycling management office for a list of local groups or organizations that coordinate litter clean ups. If there isn’t a group already established in your hometown, don’t let that stop you! Get yourself a litter grabber (we recommend Ettore brand grabbers to lessen wrist and hand strain) and a buddy and start picking up litter, anywhere. Start with your neighborhood, a favorite park or at the beach. Or better yet, start your own group and spread your impact.
If you don’t recycle, please start. If you do recycle, make sure to check your recycling program’s guidelines. Get to know the difference between single-stream and multi-stream recycling. Learn about why you should never, ever put plastic grocery bags or other unrecyclable goods in your recycling bin. Get to know what the plastic recycling numbers mean so you know what does go in the bin and what doesn’t.
Take It One Step At a Time
It is very easy to get overwhelmed as we become increasingly aware of the plastic pollution issue. Don’t get daunted by the proliferation of plastic currently in your life or dismayed by the cost of buying reusable alternatives. Make changes to your plastic usage one step at a time. Check out some DIY videos on how to make your own reusables, or if you can afford it buy high quality reusables made from non-toxic and sustainable materials.
Finally, remember that the best medicine for plastic pollution – macro or micro – is prevention.
1. Reduce your consumption.
2. Refuse single-use plastics.
2. Reuse everything you can.
3. PROPERLY Recycle.