Microplastics

Dr Natalie Welden (University of Glasgow) is a marine biologist and ecotoxicologist with over a decade’s research experience in the field of microplastic pollution. Her previous publications have explored the chemical and mechanical breakdown of large plastic debris, the transport and deposition of microplastics, and their uptake and impacts in aquatic species. In her work, there has been a key focus on the effects of microplastic fibers on nutritional state and survivorship in commercially important species, as well as on potential solutions to the issue of plastic pollution. Most recently, Natalie has been working on the movement of plastics in agricultural settings, examining their sources, migration, and fate in a farm setting.

About the Author Acknowledgements Preface Dedication List of Abbreviations 1. The Proliferation of Plastics – macro to nano Section 1: Observation and Effects in the Environment 2. Microplastics on the Move 3. Environmental Accumulation, Environmental Monitoring 4. Exploring Interaction, Uptake, and Impacts 5. Ecosystem Level Effects 6. Associated Pollutants and Secondary Effects Section 2: A great many R’s: the societal response to the plastic problem 7. A great many R’s 8. Recover and Remove: rise of the litter collector 9. Consume: increasing the rate of fragmentation and degradation of polymers 10. Policy Priorities: emerging trends in a global response 11. “Solutions” vs. sustainability 12. Microplastic Forecast Back Matter Glossary