Abstract
Marine plastic waste is a global pollution problem; fragments and microplastics pose a threat to wildlife and are found in our food chain. However, observations of surface plastic concentration values are sparse. Statistical models of ocean currents are used to fill in the gaps within the observational record.
This seminar will be about research looking into the challenges faced by ocean current models in predicting plastic distribution, as well as the recent work done to confirm the presence of accumulation regions (the infamous so-called “garbage patches”).
Speaker Bio
Ronan is a PhD student in Oceanography at the Grantham Institute. He holds a degree in Geophysics (MSci) from Imperial College London and is currently on an NERC funded studentship on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet (SSCP) Doctoral Training Partnership at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment.