SFEI scientists process microplastic samples collected from San Francisco Bay.
SFEI and The 5 Gyres Institute have launched an ambitious two-year research project to monitor San Francisco Bay for pollution in the form of tiny particles of plastic pollution, reports ABC7 News. These microplastic particles are eaten by local fish, according to previous studies, which can expose them to harmful contaminants.
ABC7 reporters explains: "Researchers will be testing for microplastic in many parts of San Francisco Bay, as well as in protected marine sanctuaries outside the Golden Gate, and in water from storm drains and wastewater treatment plants that run into the Bay. Scientists already know some of the plastic bits found in the bay are from toothpaste and facial scrubs that will be phased out over the next couple years by law.
"Now they want to learn more about tiny hair-like plastic that is believed to come from synthetic clothes and fleece that shed fibers when they are washed."
This ongoing research project is primarily funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, with contributions from the Regional Monitoring Program for Water Quality in San Francisco Bay, the outdoor clothing company Patagonia, and the East Bay Municipal Utility District; San Francisco Baykeeper is providing in-kind support as well.
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The RMP has conducted initial studies of microplastic pollution in San Francisco Bay. Findings from a 2015 screening-level RMP study of microplastic pollution in our Bay show widespread contamination at levels greater than other U.S. water bodies with high levels of urban development, the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay. Wildlife consume microplastic particles; ingestion can lead to physical harm, and can expose aquatic organisms to pollutants like PCBs that the plastics have absorbed from the surrounding environment.
Microplastic Pollution in San Francisco Bay and Adjacent Marine Sanctuaries (Project)
Monitoring San Francisco Bay for microplastics - photo by Plus M Productions
Plastic pollution is gaining global recognition as a threat to the resilience and productivity of ocean ecosystems. However, we are only just beginning to understand the scope and impacts of microplastic particles (less than 5 mm) on coastal and ocean resources, and the San Francisco Bay Area is no exception. A preliminary study of nine water sites in San Francisco Bay, published in 2016, showed greater levels of microplastics than the Great Lakes or Chesapeake Bay.
Hunting for Plastic in California’s Protected Ocean Waters (News)
Image from KQED
Rebecca Sutton, Meg Sedlak, and Diana Lin of SFEI, in partnership with Carolynn Box of 5 Gyres, conducted ocean water sampling associated with an ambitious project. The project is focused on determining the characteristics and fate of microplastics in the Bay and adjacent ocean waters. KQED reporter Lindsey Hoshaw published a story covering the team's activities along the California coast. After determinng that the Bay has greater than expected microplastic pollution, the science team, as reported by Hoshaw's story, is conducting further ground-breaking research.
In a story called "Synthetic Clothes May Be Polluting San Francisco Bay," KGO-TV's Dan Ashley interviews SFEI's Rebecca Sutton, UC Davis professor Susan Williams, and Jim Erin from the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility about the proliferation of synthetic fibers in the Bay. Such fibers may come from fleece jackets and other clothing produced from artifical fabrics.