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Daily briefing: Microplastics muddy the definition of the Anthropocene
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Researchers questioned whether microplastics are reliable markers for defining the Anthropocene geological epoch, noting that the inconsistent global distribution and variable preservation of microplastics in sedimentary records may undermine their utility as a universal stratigraphic signal compared to other proposed Anthropocene markers.
Microplastics might not be a reliable way to define the geological epoch mooted to have begun when humans started altering the planet. Plus, ancient ‘Vittrup Man’ was a traveller from far away and how to boost your research with a policy sabbatical. Microplastics might not be a reliable way to define the geological epoch mooted to have begun when humans started altering the planet. Plus, ancient ‘Vittrup Man’ was a traveller from far away and how to boost your research with a policy sabbatical.
More Papers Like This
Buried microplastics complicate efforts to define the Anthropocene
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Scientists note that microplastic particles in sediment layers could help mark the start of the Anthropocene epoch, but their tendency to migrate downward into older layers makes precise dating difficult. This movement complicates efforts to use plastics as a reliable geological time marker.
Microplastics into the Anthropocene
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Researchers at a Baltic Sea institute expanded their decade-long study of microplastics to explore new dimensions of their ecological impact, contributing to a growing body of evidence that microplastics are a defining pollutant of the current geological era.
Microplastics into the Anthropocene
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Researchers at the Leibniz Institute have spent a decade studying how microplastics — plastic particles smaller than 5mm — affect Baltic Sea biology and ecology, expanding their work to cover new microplastic-related environmental topics that may affect aquatic ecosystems humans depend on.
Microplastics into the Anthropocene
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Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research extended a decade of work on microplastic effects in marine ecosystems by exploring new dimensions of how these particles interact with biological and geological systems, contributing to understanding of plastics as a defining feature of the Anthropocene era.
Getting a grip on microplastics’ risks
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Researchers and policy experts assessed the current state of microplastic risk evaluation, examining how scientific uncertainty and regulatory gaps complicate efforts to establish safe exposure thresholds and meaningful environmental standards for these pervasive contaminants.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.