The mass of “invisible” microplastics found in the upper waters of the Atlantic Ocean is approximately 12 to 21 million tonnes, according to research published in the journal Nature Communications. Significantly, this figure is only for three of the most common types of plastic litter in a limited size range. Yet, it is comparable in magnitude to estimates of all plastic waste that
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By Devin Partida Microplastics are very tiny pieces of plastic either created intentionally for abrasive purposes or formed from larger pieces of decomposed plastic. They’re small enough to infest natural underwater vegetation or be eaten by wildlife. As such, microplastics pose a significant threat to our oceans and marine conservation efforts. In the past, microplastics were removed by placing filters in
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By Devin Partida Everything from shopping bags to toys contains plastic, and the material remains widespread around the world. Unfortunately, only 9 percent of all plastic gets recycled. A related issue is that many of the varieties used today have chemical makeups that prevent full decomposition. These realities mean that plastics in the ocean is a major problem, polluting the
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Finnish companies Meritaito Ltd., part of the Arctia group, and Kine Robot Solutions Ltd. have jointly developed the Sniffer Buoy for air quality and emission monitoring regarding IMO 2020 regulations. The first Sniffer Buoy prototype was deployed at the end of May for a pilot period, spring to autumn 2020. Installation was done in the Finnish west coast archipelago outside Turku and
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A new pilot project in Dan Nang, Vietnam, will use the Source-to-Sea approach to tackle pollution in collaboration between communities upstream and at sea level. The initiative comes from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Source-to-Sea approach combats water pollution by integrating land, freshwater and marine resource management, taking into
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Conserving Resident Killer Whales in the Pacific, securing recreational areas for local communities and encouraging local cultural activities–these are the latest projects to receive funding from Hurtigruten Foundation, which funds sustainability projects around the world. Through the Hurtigruten Foundation, Hurtigruten grants funds to projects, communities and organizations focused on three main pillars: Conserving the world’s endangered species. The fight against marine
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