GCR: Collaborative Research: Convergence on Micro- and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environments

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This Growing Convergence Research project will advance scientific understanding of how micro- and nanoplastics impact aquatic environments. Plastic pollution is one of the greatest current global environmental challenges and a large fraction of it is present in micro- (5 mm) and nano- (1-1000 nm) sized fragments. Ingestion or uptake of these microscopic fragments of plastic can damage tissues, alter growth, and affect reproductive processes in aquatic organisms critical to the food web. To inform risk assessments and develop remediation strategies, this project will converge across environmental toxicology, environmental engineering, marine biology, and fisheries science to establish foundational science on the fate and effects of micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems. This project will explore what properties of micro- and nanoplastics and what environmental factors are determinative of risk. The research team will: 1) characterize the physicochemical composition, size, and shape of micro- and nano-scale plastics commonly found in aquatic environments; 2) determine the biological consequences of micro- and nanoplastics exposure in freshwater and estuarine model organisms using rapid toxicity testing strategies; 3) design and validate two estuarine microcosm assays to study micro- and nanoplastics fate and impacts; 4) determine how real-world transformations of micro- and nanoplastics may alter the fate of the plastics or plastic additives; and 5) establish computational models of micro- and nanoplastics environmental fate, transformations and predictive ecotoxicology. The project will also establish the Pacific Northwest Consortium on Plastics, which will bring together diverse researchers, regulators, and other stakeholders to catalyze innovation within the project and to amplify the broader impacts of this work.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.