A multidisciplinary team of National Geographic Explorers mapped microplastic and microfibre pollution around the islands of Lana'i and Maui, using techniques developed at Staffordshire University.
World-leading forensic fibre specialist Professor Claire Gwinnett helped to pioneer the approach dubbed "CSI for the Ocean" in partnership with founder of the Rozalia Project Rachael Miller, after recognising that methods used in forensic science could be brought into marine science.
With funding from the National Geographic Society, scientists from multiple countries including Theo Anagnostopoulos (Greece),Tania Pelamatti (Italy), and Edem Mahu (Ghana) collaborated with Gwinnett (UK) and Miller (USA) during an expedition onboard research vessel the E/V Nautilus.
Gwinnett said: “The Hawaiian Islands do suffer from a lot of plastic pollution because of tourism and it has one of the most polluted beaches on the planet, Kamilo Beach. We wanted to look at these remote locations, which should be pristine, and explore how much pollution is in the water and the air.”
80 surface water and air suspension samples were collected from 21 locations in the Hawaiian Archipelago primarily near Lanai’i and along the western shore of Maui.
“We are seeing hotspots in particular areas, partly because of the geography but also population density, especially around tourism towns and ports that have a lot of activity,” Gwinnett explained.
“What we found is that microparticles are airborne as well as in the surface water and there is a broad number of different types of pollutants. So not just microplastics, but also anything that has come from human activity.”
The samples were fixed to slides using Staffordshire University’s patented Easylift® tape and analysed under a stereomicroscope and polarizing light microscope that allows for the examination and identification of microplastics and microfibres.
The majority of the fibres found in the water were polyester and nylon believed to be from clothing.
“A lot of materials used for clothing are generally high-shed and these microfibres are making their way into our waterways and even into the air. We also discovered that the dyes used to colour these materials are leaching out of the textile fibres and into the ocean.
“This is the first time that our team has seen this happening so clearly. This leaching can happen with dyes and any other chemicals our textiles are treated with. So, it’s not just the fibres that are harmful to the environment but also the toxic chemicals they contain.”
Gwinnett added: “This indicates that solutions focused on reducing clothes shedding have the potential to make a big difference in reducing microfibre pollution.”
Now, the researchers are calling on citizen scientists to be involved in mapping and monitoring microplastic pollution. Throughout the expedition, CSI for the Ocean kits were given out to gauge how easily community members and students could collect usable samples. After a successful trial, the team is preparing to call on members of the public to monitor pollution in remote areas.
Miller, who served as the Microplastic Team Lead, commented: “With the distribution of CSI for the Ocean kits, we hope to inspire the next generation of fibre scientists and environmental advocates and to empower communities to gather valuable, robust microplastic data from their local waterways.
“We believe that this data has the power to reveal potential microplastic and microfibre pollution hotspots allowing for targeted regional interventions.”
With National Geographic Society's support, Professor Gwinnett is also developing an app which will enable citizen scientists around the world to upload images of microplastic and microfibre samples to a global database which uses machine learning to analyse them.
“These are simple methods that we can all do in our backyards, at our local rivers, beaches or lakes. But it's also about engaging sailors and tourist boating companies to help with this activity because it's not very time consuming to take the samples,” Gwinnett said.
“We want to make it as accessible for as many people as possible to take up and to help gather this data so we can get a broader understanding of where the pollution is and how we can tackle it. We are very excited to be developing this app which will be a big step forward in doing that.”
Discover more about the results or learn how to take your own microplastic samples.