• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Engineering Research News

Engineering Research News

  • Find Stories
  • For Journalists
  • About

The ocean is full of tiny plastic particles – we found a way to track them with satellites

In The Conversation, Chris Ruf explains how CYGNSS can find the source ocean microplastics and aid in future clean up.

Written by: Michigan Engineering

July 9, 2021

portraitChris Ruf
Frederick Bartman Collegiate Professor of Climate and Space Science

EXPERTS:

Written by Chris Ruf

Plastic is the most common type of debris floating in the world’s oceans. Waves and sunlight break much of it down into smaller particles called microplastics – fragments less than 5 millimeters across, roughly the size of a sesame seed.

To understand how microplastic pollution is affecting the ocean, scientists need to know how much is there and where it is accumulating. Most data on microplastic concentrations comes from commercial and research ships that tow plankton nets – long, cone-shaped nets with very fine mesh designed for collecting marine microorganisms.

But net trawling can sample only small areas and may be underestimating true plastic concentrations. Except in the North Atlantic and North Pacific gyres – large zones where ocean currents rotate, collecting floating debris – scientists have done very little sampling for microplastics. And there is scant information about how these particles’ concentrations vary over time.

This article was originally published in The Conversation. Read the full article.

related links

Tracking ocean microplastics from space


MEDIA CONTACT

Zach Robertson

Zach Robertson

News & Communications Specialist

(734) 647-7000

zachr@umich.edu

Explore: Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering Energy & Environment Faculty Perspectives Research Space Sustainability Water

Footer

  • Find Stories
  • For journalists
  • About
  • Subscribe (RSS)
  • U-M Engineering home
  • Strategic vision
  • Graduate & professional
  • Undergraduate
  • Campus news & events

© The Regents of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA

Privacy Policy | Non-Discrimination Policy | Campus Safety

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube