Microplastics (MP) have become the sexiest research topic in the fields of ecotoxicology and environmental pollution – up to the point where it’s being banned in the journal submissions, conference abstracts and funding schemes. In this presentation you’ll find out how much does science really know about this much-spoken topic. What is the current MP situation of the seas and what are the biggest challenges of the field.
The results of two studies are presented: MP abundance study of the Estonian coastal sea areas; and laboratory exposure experiment with crustaceans in naturally relevant concentrations of weathered MPs.
Randel is a Research Fellow at the Chair of Animal Ecology, Department of Zoology, University of Tartu