Casey Casey
Plastics in the Marine environment
Microplastics have spread across the entire globe, reaching even the most pristine of environments. Sea to Sky will provide research opportunities along the coast of western and southern Iceland. Small enough to be carried by oceanic currents, and resistant to chemically breaking down, microplastics could be considered an anthropocene sediment type. My project will look at microplastics that are showing up in coastal environments, with a focus on mapping the spread and severity of pollution. Chemical analysis of plastic samples could help inform ecological health risks. Understanding the role of plastic in global processes is vital as the long term impacts are still unknown. GIS mapping can be used to illustrate the locations that have been identified as polluted, along with their severity. Understanding what types of plastic are accumulating allows for preparation of adverse health effects on micro and macro scales. This research will help to identify vulnerabilities in our environment, and hopefully prompt protection efforts.
My research will culminate in a science communication publication in Spire: The Maine Journal of Conservation and Sustainability. Using my map and sample data, I plan to combine it with images I take in the field or in the lab of the various plastics I found. This is to intertwine the visual reality with my data, making it less abstract to an average learner.
