How ocean currents move plastic – and thus make it a global problem?

The plastic polluting our ocean is very troublesome. Plastic has now been found from the deepest ocean trenches to the Arctic Sea ice. But whose plastic is it that is now littering our once-pristine ocean? Where does marine litter come from, and where does it end up?

In this talk, Erik will show how we combine computer simulations of virtual particles with advanced statistics and techniques from archaeology to determine the most likely sources of the plastic ending up on remote islands like the Galapagos and Svalbard. And ask how this plastic soup is related to climate change.

Erik van Sebille is an oceanographer, climate scientist and activist. His research focuses on how ocean currents transport heat, nutrients, marine organisms and plastic litter. He builds computer models to simulate the transport of this ‘stuff’ in the ocean. He is also affiliated with the Freudenthal Institute, where he leads research into the effectivity of Public Engagement activities and the role of academics in society, within the context of Open Science.