Researchers have long known that plastic pollution reaches the ocean. But how much plastic is trapped, and where, before it reaches the ocean is far less understood.
As professors of environmental engineering, geography and environmental studies, and oceanography at Penn State, we recently led studies mapping how microplastics move through bodies of water across Pennsylvania. What we found was striking: Microplastics are nearly everywhere, their concentration in sediment has been doubling every 20 years, and some of the most common types are among the most toxic.
