Gallery

Microplastics: A truly colourful pile

Scientists define microplastics as collection of small and large fragments, pellets, fibers, sheets, and other objects smaller than five millimeters. They come in different shapes and colors - a diversity that it actually breathtaking, as this gallery shows.

The photos are provided by our colleagues from the Chesapeake Bay Program. The images were taken by Will Parson at the laboratory of Dr. Lance Yonkos in the Department of Environmental Science & Technology at the University of Maryland. Find more images on the Chesapeake Bay Program Flickr page.

News

Low contamination of Antarctic krill with microplastics

Low contamination of Antarctic krill with microplastics

Antarctic krill is only slightly contaminated with microplastics and is therefore well suited for monitoring the contamination of the Southern Ocean with microplastics. This is shown by a study in which researchers analysed the stomachs of the widespread shrimp species. In the journal Science of the Total Environment, the team led by the Alfred Wegener Institute warns against false positive results if extraction steps are omitted during sample preparation.

„Wissen der Vielen“ prize for Artic project

„Wissen der Vielen“ prize for Artic project

Anna Natalie Meyer, former AWI biologist, is one of the first winners of the "Wissen der Vielen" prize for Citizen Science. The prize was awarded for the first time in 2023 and honors outstanding scientific achievements. Anna Natalie Meyer received the 3rd prize for her work on the investigation of plastic waste on Arctic beaches on Spitsbergen, which she published together with Birgit Lutz and Melanie Bergmann. An important part of the project was the participation of citizen scientists during tourist trips.

New paper on plastic removal technologies

New paper on plastic removal technologies

Mechanical cleaning devices: A remedy for marine plastic pollution or a danger to marine life? This is the question addressed in a new paper by an international group of scientists published in the journal One Earth. Lead author is AWI biologist Melanie Bergmann. The Article shows that plastic removal technologies can cause harm and cannot provide a solution to global plastic pollution. Instead, the international focus needs to be on preventing plastic pollution. To the original press release.