Barrington Land Trust Learning Series: Microplastics in our Environment

Decades ago, beach walkers scoured the sand for sea glass in a rainbow of colors. Now, beaches, salt marshes and our oceans are more likely to be infused with tiny bits of plastic. University of Rhode Island researchers in the COAST Lab (COASTL), led by Professor J.P. Walsh in the Graduate School of Oceanography, estimate that the top 2 inches of the floor of Narragansett Bay now contain more than 1,000 tons of microplastics. That buildup has occurred in just the last 10 to 20 years.

On Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 7 pm, Prof. J.P. Walsh will join the Land Trust Learning Series to discuss their findings about microplastics in our environment, including research conducted over the last year at Mussachuck Beach, a Land Trust property in Barrington. The presentation is held in partnership with the Barrington Public Library and will take place in its Salem Family Auditorium. Seating is limited.

To register for this event, visit www.blct.org/events. The Land Trust Learning Series is sponsored by the Shaw’s Foundation and Santander Bank with additional support from Prickly Ed’s Cactus Patch Native Plant Emporium, BankNewport, Rhode Island Natural History Survey, and other local sponsors.

Microplastics are small plastic particles 5 centimeters or smaller. The smallest of these can’t be seen without a powerful microscope; the largest are plastic production pellets called “nurdles” about the size of a pea. Microplastic pollution comes from runoff, littering of single-use plastic items, wastewater treatment facilities, shipping, industrial plastic production and fisheries. However, it’s estimated that only 1% of that marine plastic remains in the water column. Most microplastics are eventually deposited on shorelines and in marine sediment.

With more than 16 trillion microplastic particles trapped in the top layer of Narragansett Bay’s sediment, the bay is serving as a filter for plastic pollution. This trapping has negative consequences and may cause behavioral changes in mammals, but might also point the way to potential for efficient removal. Coastal habitats are more easily accessible than the open ocean, making clean-up efforts more feasible.

COASTL strives to determine how materials move and accumulate along shorelines and in the sea.  Under the direction of J.P Walsh and in partnership with other researchers, COASTL uses a combination of methods including geographic information systems (GIS), sediment coring, seafloor mapping, process measurements and laboratory analyses to understand coastal and ocean issues and processes.  Studies focus on sedimentary systems, from river mouths to the edge of ocean basins, and from tropical mangroves to high-latitude fjords. The findings have relevance to biological, chemical, physical and human dynamics.   While some projects may only involve a single student examining a local salt marsh, other investigations require many scientists on oceanographic research expeditions.

About J.P. Walsh

J.P. Walsh is a professor of oceanography and a geological oceanographer with a doctorate in oceanography from the University of Washington, a master of science degree in marine environmental science from Stony Brook University, and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Colgate University. Before joining URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, he was a professor at East Carolina University and program head for coastal processes at the Coastal Studies Institute. His research focuses on coastal sedimentary processes and related aspects, such as coastal erosion, pollutant fate and sand resources for beach nourishment. 

Walsh has recently spearheaded efforts to measure microplastics on the shoreline and seabed of Narragansett Bay, and he is working on several projects examining coastal change and resilience in New England. Over his career, Walsh has conducted research around the world including in the Philippines, France, New Zealand, Antarctica and around the U.S. He is well known for his research investigating how sediments are eroded, transported and accumulate along coasts and in the ocean. This research is important to understanding geochemical cycling, evaluating ecosystem changes, defining coastal hazards and managing natural resources.