In an effort to fight the millions of tons of marine litter floating in the ocean, Florida State University researchers have developed a new virtual tool to track this debris.
In an effort to fight the millions of tons of marine litter floating in the ocean, Florida State University researchers have developed a new virtual tool to track this debris.
Their work, which was published in Frontiers in Marine Science, will help provide answers to help monitor and deal with the problem of marine litter.
“Marine litter is found around the world, and we do not fully understand its impact on the ocean ecosystem or human health,” said Eric Chassignet, director of FSU’s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) and the paper’s lead author. “That’s why it’s important to learn more about this problem and develop effective ways to mitigate it.”
Marine litter is a big problem for the Earth’s oceans. Animals can get entangled in debris. Scientists have found tiny pieces of plastic inside fish, turtles and birds — litter that blocks digestive tracts and alters feeding behavior, altering growth and reproduction. Most of that marine litter is mismanaged plastic waste, which is of particular concern because plastics remain in the ocean for a long time.
Read more at Florida State University
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