Addressing Microplastic Environmental Data Gaps Through Undergraduate Research

Plastic pollution from freshwater and atmospheric sources into coastal and marine environments is complex and the extent is largely unquantified. Such a gap in knowledge of marine microplastic sources, fate, and transport requires a spectrum of engineers and scientists, so that technical, social, and policy solutions can be developed. Citizen scientists are low cost and can collect an abundance of field data. Experienced scientists can complete costly but advanced analytical analyses on a smaller sample of plastics. This project engages engineering and science undergraduate students (moderate experience) in microplastic data collection and analysis to fill gaps in microplastic data for the state of Rhode Island. Methods were developed to collect and analyze local river and atmospheric data. River samples were collected from a range of urban and rural sample sites. Atmospheric samples were collected by dry deposition into a custom-designed stainless steel collector located on campus. Nile red dye was used to stain the samples, which were then visually enumerated by fluorescence using a retrofitted compound microscope. All samples contained microplastics and suspected microplastics (as identified by visual analysis). Rural freshwater samples contained fewer average pieces per liter than the more urban samples. Atmospheric deposition of microplastic fibers on the moderately urban campus site was within the ranges (fibers per square meters per day) reported in other urban locations globally. Continued data collection by the undergraduate student team in collaboration with a variety of local partners from citizen scientists to experts in the field is required to develop a robust understanding of the abundance, distribution, fate, and transport of plastics in the state of Rhode Island to mitigate inputs and impacts to the Narragansett Bay.