Courtney Arthur '10 (M.S.)
"I just want to say one word to you. Just one word ... Are you listening?"
"Yes, I am."
"Plastics."
Plastics. That career advice went in one ear and out the other when Dustin Hoffman's title character was pulled aside by a well-meaning family friend in the 1967 film The Graduate. Courtney Arthur '10 (M.S.), however, must have listened closely - though she's interested in removing plastic, not producing it.
Arthur is a research analyst at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Silver Spring, Md., focusing on the effects and prevalence of plastics pollution in our oceans. Not just any plastics, either, but microplastics - bits you can hardly see that are smaller than 5 millimeters in every dimension. Microplastic debris includes preproduction plastic resins and plastic bags or bottles that have weathered and broken down. They enter the world's oceans in many ways, such as being dumped or swept off land by wind or rain, sometimes through storm drains. The scientific and environmental communities know very little about the impact of microplastics in the natural world, Arthur says, so she's made it her mission to find out more.
When it comes to marine debris, recent media reports have focused on a giant mass of floating trash 1,000 miles west of California in the Pacific Ocean - the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Experts have estimated the amorphous and diffuse blob of pollution is twice the size of Texas - a shocking statement about the amount of trash in our oceans. In September, an expedition to the garbage patch returned to San Francisco with news that, while the garbage patch contained plenty of fishing floats, broken patio furniture, soda bottles and Styrofoam chunks, a more overwhelming amount of pollution was the amount of small pieces of plastics in the patch. According to reports, researchers aboard the Kaisei took hundreds of samples from the patch, and each contained microplastics.
"Every day, every night, we'd pull up samples and pour the water through a sieve. It would be completely clogged with tiny pieces of plastic," says Margy Gassel, a research scientist with the California Environmental Protection Agency. "It was so disturbing."
Sea birds have choked to death or starved from eating plastic bits, and researchers aboard the Kaisei observed jellyfish eating microplastics. The researchers noted that these jellyfish are eaten by larger fish, such as tuna, which in turn are consumed by humans.
As Arthur explains, it's alarming to see microplastics enter the food chain, as many plastics contain additives, some of which are toxic to humans and other organisms. It's unknown to what extent these toxins may leach from plastics and under what conditions. There are also theories that some plastic ocean debris may be beneficial by acting as sponges and soaking up harmful chemicals in the water. Nevertheless, despite the limited research, it's known that microplastics are harming ocean organisms to some extent.
"We have seen albatross and other sea birds choke to death or starve with stomachs full of plastic," says John Hocevar, the oceans campaign director for Greenpeace USA. "A similar phenomenon is likely to occur with other animals."
Arthur says, that while the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been very helpful in raising public awareness of marine debris, she believes that microplastics along beaches and in waterways may have a more direct impact on humans. To estimate how much microplastic material exists along U.S. coastlines, Arthur is devising measurement methods to ascertain how many microplastics exist in a narrow area of beach or water, and then multiplying that number to have an estimate for entire regions. On a basic level, this means combing small areas of beach for trash, or dragging a fine net through 2 feet of surface water to collect debris. With this information, Arthur hopes to identify microplastic hotspots.
Suggestions for reducing the amount of microplastic pollution include the obvious, such as properly disposing plastic waste, recycling and reducing the use of certain plastic products. Other suggestions include increased use of biodegradable plastics and installing filters on storm drains that would catch microplastic debris before it enters oceans or rivers.
Hocevar says that while there is a considerable amount of plastic pollution in our ocean, the international community has responded to ocean crises before. In the 1980s, 100,000 tons of hazardous waste were incinerated at sea each year. That practice has been banned, he notes, as well as the dumping of nuclear waste, industrial waste and sewage sludge.
"This is a global issue that will require global solutions," Hocevar says. "Phasing out disposable plastic bags would be a good start, but it will take a rethinking of our role on the planet and a comprehensive approach to consumption, recycling and waste disposal before we can fully solve the problem."
Arthur knows there are a lot of questions to be answered regarding microplastics before remediation efforts can be effective. She's in it for the long haul and confident her efforts will be worthwhile.
"Chemical contaminants have been increasing in the environment in the last 100 years, and I don't think that's changing anytime soon," says Arthur. "This is an area where people can make a difference. ... I think it's a really rewarding field to be in." 