Distribution, Fate and Impacts of Plastic Pollution in Aquatic Environments.

Distribution, Fate and Impacts of Plastic Pollution in Aquatic Environments Associate Professor Mark Osborn School of Applied Sciences,

RMIT University Email: Mark.Osborn@rmit.edu.au Twitter: @MicrobialLife

Living in the Plastic Age‌

Dying and Suffering in the Plastic Age‌

http://platypusspot.org/

5 Trillion Plastic Pieces; 250,000 tons‌

Click here to go to open-access Research Article Showing Global Map (Figure 2) of Plastic Distribution in Surface Waters of World’s Oceans

Eriksen et al (2014) PLoS One

An Australian Marine Problem‌

Click here to go to open-access Research Article showing Map (Figure 4) of Plastic Distribution in Australian Offshore Surface Waters

Reisser et al (2013) PLoS One

The Hidden Plastic Problem: Microplastics

Plastic Transport via Stormwater Drains

(Micro)-plastics on West Beach, St Kilda below Stormwater Outflow

Fate of Plastic in Aquatic Environments

Click here to go to open-access Research Article showing Fate of and Sinks for Plastic in Surface Waters and Benthic Habitats (Figure 1)

Tosin et al., (2012) Frontiers Microbiol.

Plastic as a Sponge for Marine Pollutants

Click here to go to webpage showing image of plastic acting as a source and sink of co-pollutant chemicals

Microbial Colonisation of Plastic Surfaces Day 0

Day 14

SP1

SP2

WB1 Harrison et al., (2014) BMC Microbiol. 14, 232.

Scanning electron micrographs of LDPE surface in sediment at 14 days Arrows indicate “degradation” pits in LDPE surface; bar = 5µm

What do Microbes do on Plastics ?

Degradation of plastics?

Degradation of plastic-adsorbed co-pollutants?

Driving transport of buoyant plastic to deeper waters and sediments (and benthic fauna) due to biofouling?

Transport vector for microbial pathogens to larger aquatic organisms?

Our Current Research at RMIT: Microbiology/Chemistry of Marine, Freshwater & Sediment (Micro)-Plastics (Australia and Port Phillip) Plastic Pollution in Seabirds (Shearwaters) – funded by SeaWorld Research and Rescue Foundation Ingested Plastics in Seals (with Phillip Island Nature Parks)

Microbes on Plastic in the Yarra

Bioplastic Coffee Lid

Microbial biofilms on plastic after 3-months exposure in the Yarra

Research Approach

Plastic identification

Field Sampling

Sediments

Co-pollutant identification 3-Month Exposure Experiments

Plastic abundance

DNA-analysis of microbial diversity and function

Plastic Ingestion in Shearwaters

Building Stakeholder Partnership & Links (2014-)

New 2-Year Research Grant (Starts Nov. 2015)

+ Knowledge Exchange Scientific Evidence

+

Stakeholder Expertise

Forum and Expert Group on Plastic Pollution driving Environmentally-Sustainable Usage of Plastic in Victoria and Australia

+ Government / City Council Stakeholders

Thank you to: Dr. Jesse Harrison Dr. Sonja Oberbeckmann Dr. Slobodanka Stojkovic Dr. Jennifer Lavers (UTAS) Taylor Gundry Karl Jaeger

If you would like to know more or would like to partner with us on our new project on aquatic plastic pollution then please contact: Email: Mark.Osborn@rmit.edu.au Twitter: @MicrobialLife A copy of the original full presentation from the VLAA Marine Debris meeting (Nov. 2015 St Kilda, Melbourne) is also available on request by email from: Mark.Osborn@rmit.edu.au