Developing frameworks for monitoring and assessing the ecological risk of microplastics in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Lisa Sonnenburg manages cultural resources for the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, documenting and protecting submerged archaeological landscapes through collaboration with Indigenous communities.

A synthesis of a decade of microplastics research in the Great Lakes reveals widespread contamination but highlights the need for standardized monitoring methods and risk assessment frameworks.

Heather Dettman serves as a Senior Science Advisor for Natural Resources Canada, leading research on oil spill science and petroleum products to protect water resources.

Research reveals that microplastics can trigger the release of substances from cyanobacteria, altering buoyancy and potentially fueling harmful algal blooms, creating a complex nexus between plastics and algae.

The Clean Shores, Great Lakes project mobilized thousands of volunteers to clean up plastic litter from Tanzanian shorelines, using citizen science to identify hotspots and advocate for policy change.

Stormwater runoff studies show that low-income and commercial areas contribute significantly higher amounts of macro-litter and microplastics to the Great Lakes, highlighting the need for targeted waste management.

Plastic pollution is a full life-cycle issue, from fossil fuel extraction to end-of-life, with significant impacts on the Great Lakes and human health, requiring systemic solutions beyond just recycling.

Harris Phiri, a retired fisheries director from Zambia, shares his extensive experience in Lake Tanganyika research and his passion for conservation and interacting with the global aquatic science community.

The Synthetic Collective's collaboration between scientists and artists has raised awareness of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes through exhibitions, data visualization, and the discovery of plastiglomerate.