Developing ecological solutions to plastic pollution

Hayley将研究基于自然的解决方案是否可以成功地用于减少微塑料进入海洋环境的通量。关键的研究问题包括：哪些塑料对海洋环境最有害，政策干预或生物修复在多大程度上可以限制它们进入我们的海洋？生物礁（如贻贝）能否有效去除污染沃茨中的水性微塑料，而不会对生物体和当地环境造成伤害？大型植物（如盐沼、海草）是否会促进微塑料沉积而不会对当地生态系统造成危害？

Hayley will investigate whether nature based solutions could be successfully employed to reduce the flux of microplastics into the marine environment. Key research questions include:Which plastics are most harmful to the marine environment, and to what extent could policy intervention or bioremediation limit their entry into our seas? Can biogenic reefs (e.g. mussels) efficiently remove waterborne microplastics from polluted waters without causing harm to the organism and local environment?Do macrophtyes (e.g. saltmarshes, seagrasses) promote microplastic deposition without causing harm to the local ecosystem?