One of the most potentially damaging and long-lived legacies of plastic pollution is microplastics. These small, persistent particles are increasingly being recognized as a global threat to environmental and human health. Due to their large surface area, microplastics adsorb other contaminants of concern, including persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and toxic bacteria, further amplifying ecosystem contamination. While it is imperative that plastic emissions to the environment be curtailed, an understanding of where and how microplastics have accumulated over time is essential to developing effective monitoring and remediation strategies. This presentation will highlight historic microplastic accumulation in sediments across a diverse range of freshwater environments from the shores of Lake Erie to the Delaware Estuary. Discussion topics will also include field monitoring and microplastic collection methods for environmental matrices and laboratory methods for separation and identification of microplastics.
A light lunch will be provided. Please RSVP for lunch here: https://forms.office.com/r/imHQjQCX72