Living in the Plastic Age…
Plastic Pieces; 250,000 tons
Click here to go to open-access Research Article
Showing Global Map (Figure 2) of Plastic Distribution in Surface Waters of World’s Oceans
Eriksen et al (2014) PLoS One
An Australian Marine Problem
Click here to go to open-access Research Article showing Map (Figure 4) of Plastic Distribution in Australian Offshore Surface Waters
Reisser et al (2013) PLoS One
The Hidden Plastic Problem: Microplastics
Plastic Transport via Stormwater Drains
(Micro)-plastics on West Beach, St Kilda below Stormwater Outflow
Fate of Plastic in Aquatic Environments
Click here to go to open-access Research Article showing Fate of and Sinks for Plastic in Surface Waters and Benthic Habitats (Figure 1)
Tosin et al., (2012) Frontiers Microbiol.
Plastic as a Sponge for Marine Pollutants
Click here to go to webpage showing image of plastic acting as a source and sink of co-pollutant chemicals
Microbial Colonisation of Plastic Surfaces
Day 0 Day 14
SP2
WB1
Harrison et al., (2014) BMC Microbiol. 14, 232.
Scanning electron micrographs of LDPE surface in sediment at 14 days
Arrows indicate “degradation” pits in LDPE surface; bar = 5µm SP1
What do Microbes do on Plastics ?
Degradation of plastics?
Degradation of plastic-adsorbed co-pollutants?
Driving transport of buoyant plastic to deeper waters and sediments (and benthic fauna) due to biofouling?
Transport vector for microbial pathogens to larger aquatic organisms?
Our Current Research at RMIT:
Microbiology/Chemistry of Marine, Freshwater & Sediment (Micro)-Plastics (Australia and Port Phillip)
Plastic Pollution in Seabirds (Shearwaters)
– funded by SeaWorld Research and Rescue Foundation
Ingested Plastics in Seals (with Phillip Island Nature Parks )
Microbes on Plastic in the Yarra
Bioplastic Coffee Lid
Microbial biofilms on plastic after 3-months exposure in the Yarra
Field Sampling
Sediments
Research Approach
3-Month Exposure
Experiments
Plastic
Co-pollutant identification
Plastic Ingestion in Shearwaters
Building Stakeholder Partnership & Links
New 2-Year Research Grant (Starts Nov. 2015)
Knowledge Exchange +
Scientific Evidence Stakeholder Expertise +
Forum and Expert Group on Plastic Pollution driving
Environmentally-Sustainable Usage of Plastic in Victoria and Australia
Government / City Council Stakeholders
Thank you to:
Dr. Jesse Harrison
Dr. Sonja Oberbeckmann
Dr.
Dr.
Slobodanka Stojkovic
Jennifer Lavers (UTAS)
Taylor Gundry
Karl Jaeger
