{"id":21001,"date":"2024-02-14T15:17:38","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T20:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/?page_id=21001"},"modified":"2024-04-24T13:24:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T17:24:09","slug":"plastics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/plastics\/","title":{"rendered":"Stormflow and Plastics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

UPDATE<\/strong>: Jack Kurki-Fox, BAE Research Scholar, recently shared this team’s research on microplastics on WUNC\u2019s Due South<\/a> and Spectrum\u2019s InFocus for EarthDay<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent research has revealed widespread plastics in our natural environment, and microplastics — smaller than 5mm — are present on every continent and in some of the most pristine areas of the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To better understand plastic pollution in North Carolina, NC State University and North Carolina Sea Grant applied a variety of field sampling methods for macroplastics and microplastics at 15 stream gage locations throughout the Neuse River Basin, from Raleigh to Craven County, from July 2020 to August 2021. This study was the first sampling of microplastics for North Carolina freshwater rivers and streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Map<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What we studied<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our research team collected samples of plastics in the upper portion of the river basin using three methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we made regular collections of trash from a sample grid that included both the channel and the floodplain, including seven streams and a range of development conditions and watershed sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, the team captured trash during stormflow at two highly urbanized streams using a trap composed of a basket and boom system, modeled after the Litter Gitter device (below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, from bridges at two large tributaries and from a small highly urban stream in Raleigh, researchers made visual counts of floating trash during stormflow events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team extracted microplastics from trawl samples and analyzed them at the Plastic Ocean Project Lab in Wilmington. These analyses considered streamflow, land cover, and population variables to determine: 1) which factors influence microplastic concentrations, and 2) which types of land uses throughout the Neuse River basin deliver plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Sample trawl net with floats and velocity meter attached (a), sampling from a bridge (b), and sampling using cable suspended across the stream channel (c).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What we found<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There were several key results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n