By Charlie Willis – Food security and human health are under threat from microplastics in our oceans. But to what extent? The journal article; ‘Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health’ by Gabriel et al. (2018) addresses the scale of the microplastic impact regarding marine-life and subsequently its…
By Alisa Reid – Plastic pollution is a critical long-term problem with ~400Mt produced annually [1]. Microplastics are an important contributor; classified as <5mm in diameter. There are two classes; primary (manufactured at size) or secondary (eroded to classification size) [2]. This pollution is challenging to successfully mitigate as their size often enables them to…
By Talia Treble – Mangrove Forests, as coastal ecosystems, store vast amounts of carbon whilst providing resources and protection for communities stricken by the impacts of climate change [1]. With the importance of storing ‘blue carbon’ [2] becoming increasingly recognised, the destruction of these environments is fast becoming a global environmental challenge. Blue Carbon Blue…
By Jess Griffiths – New research published in Ecosystems has found that areas of mangrove deforestation in Madagascar has lost 20% of carbon stored in the upper 1m of soil and 45% of total carbon accumulated in the past century [1], far more than previously thought. The CO2 emitted contributes to human-caused climate change, transforming…
By Luke Josef Misra – Introduction. In recent years microplastics have come to the forefront of media attention. Microplastics, which are defined as plastic pieces less than five millimetres long, are believed to be the most plentiful form of plastic in the oceans [1] at up to 92.4% [2]. A peer reviewed article by Li…
By Alice Lamb – The global impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have been varied and widespread, creating crises that threaten global food security [1]. According to a UN report, the number of people who don’t have enough food to eat rose steeply during the pandemic to almost a third of the world [2], juxtaposing…
By Anthea Phalosa – Coral reefs are a major source of attraction in the tropics, in places like Indonesia or Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. However, these biodiversity hotspots are facing a threat ultimately linked to human activity [1]. Anthropogenic activity such as the increasing use of fossil fuels have contributed to global scale warming…
By Georgina Hopwood – It is no secret that sea turtles seem to be one of the primary victims of human degradation to the environment, being the poster species for campaigns against ocean pollution, plastic use, oil spills and general exploitation of marine life. However, we see much less information spread about light pollution and…
by Lukas Szpojnarowicz – Our oceans face many growing threats, particularly caused by the presence of plastic debris and polluting microplastics. A journal article written by Vegter et al. (2014) addresses the environmental challenge of mitigating pollution, by compiling the global research efforts of 27 marine scientists, and 196 initial research questions (rqs) – which were…