Rhode Island funds key storm tools hurt by Trump/MAGA budget cuts

URI programs secure state funding for CHAMP, StormTools, and MyCoast, to continue providing critical services for Rhode Island

Kristen Curry

In the past, hurricanes hit the Rhode Island coastline without warning;
now RI-CHAMP provides early-warning alerts to state
emergency managers on coastal flooding and wind impacts
caused by hurricanes and nor’easters, giving coastal
communities critical time to prepare. (Coastal Resources Center)

EDITOR'S NOTE: GoLocal reports the Trump regime has also wiped out funding for beach restoration, forcing the state and towns to come up with cash to carry on the work. Similarly, GoLocal notes how Charlestown is trying to get state funds for more permanent repairs to the Charlestown Breachway after federal funds were denied. Thank you, MAGA.   - Will Collette

Rhode Island legislators have endorsed a powerful complement of tools developed and housed at the University of Rhode Island so they can continue to benefit the state coastline and residents, approving $200,000 in the 2026 fiscal year budget. Legislators and researchers say that support to keep URI’s critical CHAMP, STORMTOOLS, and MyCoast programs going demonstrates that URI, and Rhode Island, will continue to lead in coastal safety analysis, early warnings, and resilience.

Bringing together URI’s Coastal Resources Center, Rhode Island Sea Grant, Graduate School of Oceanography,  Environmental Data Center, and the departments of Marine Affairs and Ocean Engineering, a successful team drawing on the best of URI, the tools were developed and launched to respond to the needs of Rhode Island’s emergency managers, partner communities, state regulatory agencies, and military, to plan for and respond to storms and associated flooding.

“We’ve been working together on these projects for 10 years,” says Austin Becker, chair of URI’s Department of Marine Affairs and director of URI’s graduate certificate in Coastal Resilience, “and the collaboration has been truly wonderful.”

Funding for research and development came from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Defense, and numerous other sources. In the years since, URI has dedicated significant expertise and resources to develop the powerful suite of tools, which play key roles in addressing coastal storm risks.

The Rhode Island state funding affirms support in the Ocean State for technology and tools that prepare for weather impact in advance.

“This is a huge win,” says Becker. “This will allow us to keep these tools in operation, supporting the climate resilience needs of Rhode Island. It’s gratifying to see the state recognize the value of this work to municipalities and agencies from the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) and Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency to the Department of Environmental Management and Department of Health.”

As federal funding priorities changed, Rhode Island pivoted to maintain support for these critical emergency preparation and management tools, as support from community users demonstrated the value of the tools.

The initial bill was sponsored by Rhode Island Rep. Terri Cortvriend (Middletown, Portsmouth), who first came to Rhode Island as a boat captain. She founded a marine plumbing firm here and is familiar with coastal issues as a member of the state’s marine trade association, but says she advocated for the provision out of concern over seeing Rhode Island lose funding for these critical decision support tools.

Introducing the measure, Cortvriend asked her peers to join her in supporting Rhode Island’s homegrown coastal resilience technologies. “As we face increasing risks to our population due to more frequent and severe storms,” she said, “it is imperative that we equip our decision-makers and emergency managers with the tools necessary to mitigate impacts, enhance recovery, and reduce both human suffering and economic losses. These tools provide crucial data and predictions for emergency management, resilience planning, and community engagement across our state.”

Stephen McCandless M.S. ’21, GIS coordinator for the town of Charlestown, said the tools are essential for emergency management, planning, and coastal policy work in Rhode Island.

“These tools have proven indispensable in our ability to manage and prepare for coastal hazards,” he said. “We rely on them regularly in our operations.”

Study reveals for the first time the extent to which nanoplastic pollutes the North Atlantic

Underestimated sources of marine pollution

Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

Plastic particles less than one micrometer in size are found across the globe – from the peaks of the Alps to the depths of the oceans. A research team from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Utrecht University, and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) investigated the presence of nanoplastic in the North Atlantic. 

The findings show that nanosized plastic particles are present at all depths between the temperate and subtropical zone of the ocean. By mass, the amount of nanoplastic is comparable to that of microplastic. An article published in Nature concludes that nanoplastic plays a far greater role in marine plastic pollution than previously assumed.

Plastic waste pollutes oceans across all regions of the world. Marine animals may become entangled in larger plastic debris such as nets and bags or mistake smaller pieces for food. Ingested plastic can block or injure the gastrointestinal tract. The smallest plastic particles in the micro and nano range are mostly excreted, but a small proportion can pass through the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream.

Coastal relocation gives nature room to breathe and protect

This Retreat Isn’t a Sign of Weakness

By Frank Carini / ecoRI News staff

When it comes to climate change and southern New England’s eroding coastline, managed retreat is an unpopular choice. But there likely will come a time, perhaps sooner than we think, when it becomes the only option.

The climate crisis is altering human reality and the world in which we live. Many coastal policy experts in the region believe managed retreat needs to be part of this new reality.

Emma Gildesgame, climate adaptation scientist for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Massachusetts, believes honest conversations about managed retreat, also known as coastal relocation, are a must. She said the goal is to “work with nature to keep people safer from climate change.”

“This is the home that you bought, that you plan to live in for the rest of your life,” Gildesgame said, “but it’s going to be underwater more often than is sustainable for you to live in … that’s at the heart of the conversation.”

Managed retreat is about giving the shore room to breathe. Measures include voluntary buyouts, razing of buildings, easements, zoning changes, and moving structures.

Coast Guard’s plan to remove 38 R.I. buoys raises concerns among mariners

Trump regime tells Rhode Island boaters "do your own research"

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

A bright red buoy near the entrance to Sakonnet Harbor has long served as a waypoint for lobsterman Gary Mataronas when sailing back to Little Compton on foggy days.

“It’s a tremendous aid to navigation,” Mataronas, a Little Compton town councilor, said in an interview. 

The U.S. Coast Guard will accept written comments on the proposed buoy removals through June 13, 2025. The proposed changes can be seen at www.bit.ly/D1Buoy. Comments can be sent via email to D01-SMB-DPWPublicComments@uscg.mil.

Which is why he and other Rhode Island mariners are concerned over a proposal from the U.S. Coast Guard to remove more than three dozen navigational buoys from the state’s waterways, including the Sakonnet River buoy.

Forecasters predict another active 2025 Atlantic hurricane season

Who knows how bad it will be after drastic cuts to FEMA, NOAA?

By Jeff Masters, Yale Climate Connection

Once again, an unusually active Atlantic hurricane season is likely in 2025, the Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team said in its latest seasonal forecast, issued April 3. Led by Phil Klotzbach, with coauthors Michael Bell and Levi Silvers, the CSU team called for 17 named storms, nine hurricanes, four major hurricanes, and an Accumulated Cyclone Energy, or ACE, of 155 (26% above average). 

That’s higher than the long-term averages for the period 1991-2020 of 14.4 named storms, 7.2 hurricanes, 3.2 major hurricanes, and an ACE of 123. Last year, there were 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes, five major hurricanes, and an ACE of 162. Over the past decade, only two Atlantic seasons have ended up with ACE significantly below the 1991-2020 average: 2022 and 2015.

The CSU outlook predicted higher odds of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. than usual: 51% (long-term average: 43%). It gave a 26% chance for a major hurricane to hit the East Coast or Florida Peninsula (long-term average: 21%), and a 33% chance for the Gulf Coast (long-term average: 27%). The Caribbean was forecast to have a 56% chance of having at least one major hurricane pass through (long-term average: 47%).

Microplastics in ocean linked to disabilities for coastal residents

Mobility, self-care, independent living disability higher in areas with high microplastics

American Academy of Neurology

Tiny bits of plastic found in the ocean may be tied to a higher risk of disability for people who live in coastal areas with high levels, according to a preliminary study released February 25, 2025, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5–9, 2025, in San Diego and online. 

The study looked at disabilities affecting memory and thinking, mobility and a person’s ability to take care of oneself. The study does not prove that microplastics cause disabilities; it only shows an association. 

Marine microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic, less than 5 millimeters in length, found in oceans and seas. They come from broken-down plastic trash or products like face scrubs, fishing nets and food wrappers or take-out containers. 

“The environment can play a crucial role in our health, and factors such as pollution may impact a person’s risk of developing cognitive decline and other neurological disabilities,” said Sarju Ganatra, MD, of Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. 

“Our study found in coastal communities with higher levels of microplastics in the water, there were higher rates of disabilities that can affect a person’s life in many ways through thinking and memory, movement and their ability to take care of themselves and live independently.” 

The study looked at 218 coastal counties in the United States across 22 states. Researchers looked at marine microplastic levels across the counties, sorting them into four groups based on marine microplastic levels in the nearby ocean surface. 

Counties in the low group had zero to 0.005 microplastic pieces per cubic meter (pieces/m³) of ocean water, the medium group had 0.005 to one pieces/m³, the high group had between one and 10 pieces/m³ and the very high group had 10 or more pieces/m³. 

On average, counties with very high levels had more than 1,000 microplastic pieces/m³ of ocean water, while those with low levels had fewer than 10. They then looked at the amount of disability among residents in these categories: memory and thinking, mobility, self-care and independent living. 

Self-care disabilities include difficulty performing activities such as dressing, bathing or getting around inside the home. Independent living disabilities include difficulty performing tasks such as managing finances, shopping or using transportation. 

Coastal economies rely on NOAA, from Maine to Florida, Texas and Alaska – even if they don’t realize it

When you need a better forecast than Donald Trump's Sharpie

Christine Keiner, Rochester Institute of Technology

Healthy coastal ecosystems play crucial roles in the U.S. economy, from supporting multibillion-dollar fisheries and tourism industries to protecting coastlines from storms.

They’re also difficult to manage, requiring specialized knowledge and technology.

That’s why the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – the federal agency best known for collecting and analyzing the data that make weather forecasts and warnings possible – leads most of the government’s work on ocean and coastal health, as well as research into the growing risks posed by climate change.

The government estimates that NOAA’s projects and services support more than one-third of the nation’s gross domestic product. Yet, this is one of the agencies that the Trump administration has targeted, with discussions of trying to privatize NOAA’s forecasting operations and disband its crucial climate change research.

As a marine environmental historian who studies relationships among scientists, fishermen and environmentalists, I have seen how NOAA’s work affects American livelihoods, coastal health and the U.S. economy.

Here are a few examples from just NOAA’s coastal work, and what it means to fishing industries and coastal states.

Sea urchin "pandemic" causing mass die-off

My least favorite sushi

By Will Collette

Two unrelated articles that appeared the same week caught my eye. One was a URI piece on research to try to figure out a good way to raise sea urchins through aquaculture. The second was a report on Israeli research on the global die-off of sea urchins and its disruption of the marine ecology.

Although sea urchin (Uni) are the only variety of sushi I've encountered and really hated, I wondered what was the fuss. As the articles detail, sea urchins aren't just a food source, but a valuable part of ocean environment. 

I begin with first with the URI story below, followed by the report from Tel Aviv University.

URI aquaculture professor and scientists worldwide look for solutions

By Hugh Markey.

Green sea urchin brood stock at the University of Maine’s
Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research.
(Photo courtesy of Coleen Suckling)

A collection of tiny golden eggs crowns a swirl of pasta. They sit on a small plate, the beautiful orange color looking very much like salmon roe. 

However, the source of these eggs may be surprising. Instead of coming from the sleek, silvery bodies of the salmon, these are the spawn of sea urchins, spindly ocean dwellers that spend their lives wandering the cold, dark bottom of the ocean.

The eggs are commonly called uni, and Coleen Suckling, a marine eco-physiologist and associate professor of aquaculture and fisheries at the University of Rhode Island, is convinced that raising these animals and harvesting the uni is part of a viable industry.

“If you think about what a clean ocean smells like, and translate that to taste, you’ll have an idea of what they taste like,” Suckling said.  

How much carbon dioxide from human sources are in our coastal waters?

Coastal anthropogenic carbon

By Adam Thomas 

Excess carbon dioxide emitted by human activities—such as fossil fuel burning, land-use changes, and deforestation—is known as anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Approximately thirty percent of this anthropogenic carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed by the world’s oceans. 

While this absorption helps mitigate global warming, it also has adverse effects on marine life, including fish and plants.

While the impact of anthropogenic carbon dioxide on the open oceans has been extensively studied, there has been limited observational data on its presence and sources in coastal oceans, the broad range of saltwater ecosystems, from estuaries to coral reefs, that link the land and sea.

A recent study from Wei-Jun Cai’s lab at the University of Delaware, titled “The Source and Accumulation of Anthropogenic Carbon in the U.S. East Coast,” published in Science Advances, addresses this gap.

The lead author, Xinyu Li, earned her doctorate from UD’s School of Marine Science and Policy in 2023 and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. Wei-Jun Cai, associate dean for research and the Mary A.S. Lighthipe Chair Professor of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, was Li’s advisor and supervised the study. Co-authors include Zelun Wu, a dual-degree doctoral student at UD and Xiamen University, and Zhangxian Ouyang, a postdoctoral researcher at UD.

URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography to host Science Saturday on Sept. 7.

Fun for the whole family

By Mackensie duPont Crowley

More than two dozen free interactive exhibits and behind-the-scenes tours await guests on the Narragansett Bay Campus

All are invited to a family-friendly day on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the University of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay Campus, home to the Graduate School of Oceanography, Department of Ocean Engineering, and numerous other organizations, which together create a world-renowned community of coastal and ocean scientists, engineers, managers, policy experts and educators.

Science Saturday is an opportunity for guests of all ages to learn the latest in ocean exploration, discovery, science, technology, and conservation. The free event is also a chance to enjoy behind-the-scenes tours, interactive experiences, and conversations with a wide variety of coastal and ocean experts. 

More than two dozen exhibitors will present the work, research and discovery that happens on the Bay Campus year round.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University’s Narragansett Bay Campus, 215 South Ferry Road, Narragansett. 

Hidden Wonders: A Piece of Rhode Island in the Atlantic

Block Island from space

By Adam Voiland, NASA Earth Observatory August 3, 2024

Block Island and the southern mainland of Rhode Island captured on July 3, 2024, by the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8.

Formation and Geography of Southern New England Islands

Roughly 20,000 years ago, the Laurentide Ice Sheet smothered what is now southern New England beneath a thick layer of ice. The leading edge of this hulking mass plowed into the landscape as it advanced, depositing piles of debris called terminal moraines at its southernmost extent. These piles of glacial till became the foundation for the archipelago of islands that now flank southern New England: Long Island, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Block Island.

Block Island captured on July 3, 2024, by the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8.

URI partners on study tracking whale shark for record-breaking four years

Rio Lady's movements, migration allow researchers to 'investigate whale sharks at a unprecedented degree'

Tony LaRoche

Rio Lady, a mature female whale shark

A team of researchers at the University of Rhode Island and Nova Southeastern University in Florida have been tracking a 26-foot endangered whale shark – named “Rio Lady” – with a satellite transmitter for more than four years – a record for whale sharks and one of the longest tracking endeavors for any species of shark.

Whale sharks, which live from 80 to 130 years, are the world’s largest fish and third largest creature in the ocean – behind blue and fin whales. 

The size of a small school bus, they inhabit tropical oceans and swim slowly near the surface, with their mouths wide open, scooping up whatever’s in their path – small fish, fish eggs, and plankton. Annually, they need to travel about 5,000 miles to find enough food to survive. 

Whale shark populations worldwide have declined, primarily as a result of interactions with humans, to the point where they are now listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List as Globally Endangered.

Researchers at URI and Nova Southeastern tracked Rio Lady for about 27,000 miles over nearly 1,700 days between 2018 and 2023. Her journey took her through the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and out into the Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda. A study conducted by the researchers was published in the journal Marine and Freshwater Research, describing movement, migration and habitat use of Rio Lady.

the top two inches of the floor of Narragansett Bay contain more than 1,000 tons of microplastics

From the environment to the human brain, URI to co-host discussion of plastic pollution impact

Kristen Curry 

Researchers at the University of Rhode Island estimate the top two inches of the floor of Narragansett Bay contain more than 1,000 tons of microplastics. (URI Photo / Mike Salerno)

Narragansett Bay is proof of how reliant society has become on plastic. Researchers at the University of Rhode Island estimate the top two inches of the floor of the bay contain more than 1,000 tons of microplastics. A public forum at URI on Wednesday, Aug. 21, will ask the question: what does this mean for our environment and our health?

Three URI faculty members will provide answers and insight at “Breaking Down Plastics.”

Discover how plastic is infiltrating our daily lives at a panel discussion hosted
by Rhode Island PBS at URI on Aug. 21. “Breaking Down Plastics” is
free and open to the public. (Photos / Rhode Island PBS)

The event, held on URI’s Kingston Campus, will feature a screening of the Rhode Island PBS Weekly segment, “Green Seeker: Plastic Pollution,” followed by a conversation moderated by Rhode Island PBS reporter Michelle San Miguel. 

Sponsored by Rhode Island PBS, it will take place in URI’s Avedisian Hall, 7 Greenhouse Road, Room 170, at 6 p.m. The talk is free and open to the public; registration is required.

URI research into microplastics made headlines last year when the first study of its kind revealed prevalent microplastics in Narragansett Bay, while URI researchers simultaneously published reports on their harmful effects and potential for serious health consequences.

San Miguel interviewed URI researchers for her “Green Seeker: Plastic Pollution” segment, providing an in-depth look at plastic pollution. 

In the piece, researchers discussed the staggering estimate that the top two inches of Narragansett Bay’s floor contains more than 1,000 tons of microplastics and that buildup has occurred in just the last 10 to 20 years.

Offshore wind farms connected by an underwater power grid for transmission could revolutionize how the East Coast gets its electricity

Improve efficiency, reduce negative impacts

Tyler Hansen, Dartmouth College; Abraham Silverman, Johns Hopkins University; Elizabeth J. Wilson, Dartmouth College, and Erin Baker, UMass Amherst

Each offshore wind turbine can produce large amounts of power. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Strong offshore winds have the potential to supply coastlines with massive, consistent flows of clean electricity. One study estimates offshore wind farms could meet 11 times the projected global electricity demand in 2040.

The U.S. East Coast is an ideal location to capture this power, but there’s a problem: getting electricity from ocean wind farms to the cities and towns that need it.

While everyone wants reliable electricity in their homes and businesses, few support the construction of the transmission lines necessary to get it there. This has always been a problem, both in the U.S. and internationally, but it is becoming an even bigger challenge as countries speed toward net-zero carbon energy systems that will use more electricity.

The U.S. Department of Energy and 10 states in the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission are working on a potentially transformative solution: plans for an offshore electric power grid.

How an offshore transmission backbone could reduce the number of transmission lines and land crossings. Illustrations by Billy Roberts, NREL

Don't dump lye off the New England coast

Dangerous experiment

JULIA CONLEY for Common Dreams

Biodiversity advocates called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reject a new geoengineering project spearheaded by researchers in Massachusetts that one critic said would do "nothing to solve the root causes of the climate crisis and instead puts at risk the oceans' natural capacity to absorb carbon and their role in sustaining life on Earth."

Friends of the Earth (FOE) and other groups warned that an experiment called LOC-NESS by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) carries "potentially catastrophic risks" for the Atlantic Ocean, where researchers have proposed dumping more than 60,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide near Cape Cod to test a "carbon dioxide removal approach" called Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE).

WHOI's website states that the experiment would involve the release of "nontoxic, fluorescent Rhodamine WT dye into the ocean from a research ship," with researchers tracking the dye's movement over 72 hours in order to determine whether the ocean's alkalinity could be enhanced.

If so, the scientists say, they could ultimately help to regulate atmospheric carbon.

The EPA's notice about the proposed study from last month, however, says that the project "would involve a controlled release of a sodium hydroxide solution"—which is "essentially lye, a substance known to cause chemical burns and one that must be handled with great care," according to Tom Goldtooth, co-founder and member of the board of directors of the national Climate Justice Alliance.

Rhode Island fisheries and beaches are already being heavily impacted

The warming ocean is leaving coastal economies in hot water

Charles Colgan, Middlebury Institute of International Studies

Warm water expands, raising sea levels, which worsens
storm surge during hurricanes. It’s only one risk
from warming oceans. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Ocean-related tourism and recreation supports more than 320,000 jobs and US$13.5 billion in goods and services in Florida. 

But a swim in the ocean became much less attractive in the summer of 2023, when the water temperatures off Miami reached as high as 101 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius).

The future of some jobs and businesses across the ocean economy have also become less secure as the ocean warms and damage from storms, sea-level rise and marine heat waves increases.

Ocean temperatures have been heating up over the past century, and hitting record highs for much of the past year, driven primarily by the rise in greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Scientists estimate that more than 90% of the excess heat produced by human activities has been taken up by the ocean.

That warming, hidden for years in data of interest only to oceanographers, is now having profound consequences for coastal economies around the world.

Long-term ocean sampling in Narragansett Bay reveals plummeting plankton levels

Impact uncertain for local food web

Kristen Curry

URI’s R/V Cap’n Bert motors out of Wickford Harbor weekly to collect samples of Narragansett Bay with Abby Baskind and other graduate students. Over 60 years, all that weekly data adds up. (URI Photo / Capt. Steve Barber)

URI researchers estimate that in Narragansett Bay, the level of tiny plantlike creatures called phytoplankton has dropped by half in the last half century, based on new analysis of a long-term time series study of the bay.

That’s what a new paper published by the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) reports — news, recently uncovered, that is both surprising and concerning.

Analyzing the full time series of the bay, the research team found that phytoplankton biomass in Narragansett Bay declined by a stunning 49% from 1968 to 2019. The intensity of the winter-spring bloom, which starts the annual cycle of productivity in the Bay, decreased over time and is also occurring earlier each year.

URI’s new study in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) shares information from one of the longest plankton time series in the world. The subject of study is not only a destination for generations of Rhode Islanders and tourists but a fruitful site of research for oceanographers at URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus.

Tiny plastic particles are found everywhere

Worse than we thought

University of Basel

It's not the first study on microplastics in Antarctica that researchers from the University of Basel and the Alfred-Wegener Institute (AWI) have conducted. 

But analysis of the data from an expedition in spring 2021 shows that environmental pollution from these tiny plastic particles is a bigger problem in the remote Weddell Sea than was previously known.

The total of 17 seawater samples all indicated higher concentrations of microplastics than in previous studies. "The reason for this is the type of sampling we conducted," says Clara Leistenschneider, doctoral candidate in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel and lead author of the study.

The current study focused on particles measuring between 11 and 500 micrometers in size. The researchers collected them by pumping water into tanks, filtering it, and then analyzing it using infrared spectroscopy. 

Previous studies in the region had mostly collected microplastic particles out of the ocean using fine nets with a mesh size of around 300 micrometers. Smaller particles would simply pass through these plankton nets.

The results of the new study indicate that 98.3 percent of the plastic particles present in the water were smaller than 300 micrometers, meaning that they were not collected in previous samples. "Pollution in the Antarctic Ocean goes far beyond what was reported in past studies," Leistenschneider notes. The study appears in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

What role do ocean currents play?

The individual samples were polluted to different extents. The offshore samples, which were collected north of the continental slope and the Antarctic Slope Current, contained the highest concentrations of microplastics. The reasons for this are not conclusively known. 

It may be that the ice that tends to form near the coast retains the tiny plastic particles, and they are only released back into the water when the ice melts. It could also be the case that ocean currents play a role. 

"They might work like a barrier, reducing water exchange between the north and south," suggests Gunnar Gerdts from the AWI in Heligoland, Germany.

What is certainly true is that ocean currents are an important factor and the subject of many open questions in the field. So far the researchers have only examined water samples from the ocean surface, but not from lower depths. This is primarily due to limited time on the ship expeditions for taking samples and to equipment with insufficient pumping capacity. 

"It would nonetheless be revealing to analyze such data, since the deep currents differ greatly from the surface currents and thermohaline circulation leads to exchange with water masses from northern regions," Leistenschneider says.

It is also still unclear how the microplastics make their way to the Weddell Sea in the first place and whether they ever leave the region. The strong Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which flows all the way around the Antarctic Ocean at a latitude of about 60° south, might prevent their departure. 

The researchers are also not yet able to say conclusively where the microplastics originate. Possible sources include regional ship traffic from the tourism, fishing and research industries, as well as research stations on land. However, the microplastics might also make their way to Antarctica from other regions via ocean currents or atmospheric transport.

Research leads to awareness

Clara Leistenschneider plans to focus next on analyzing the sediment samples she collected during the same expedition. This should provide information about how microplastics are accumulating on the sea floor, which is home to unique and sensitive organisms and is a breeding ground for Antarctic icefish (Bovichtidae).

With the increase in tourism in the Antarctic Ocean, pollution may increase even more in the future, further impacting the environment and the food chain.

Nonetheless, Leistenschneider remains cautiously optimistic: "Research on the topic has dramatically increased awareness in recent years of the problems that microplastics cause for the environment and all living organisms." 

Although there is no all-encompassing solution, she notes that a variety of stakeholders all over the world are working intensively to better understand the problem and develop innovative ideas to reduce plastic pollution. And, of course, "every individual who engages in environmentally-conscious behavior can bring about positive change."

Study Reveals Up to 11 Million Tons of Plastic Polluting Ocean Floors

"Every minute, a garbage truck's worth of plastic enters the ocean" 

BRETT WILKINS for Common Dreams

The amount of plastic waste littering the Earth's ocean floors could be up to 100 times the quantity floating on the surface, according to a study published this week.

Researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)—an Australian government agency—and the University of Toronto in Canada found that up to 11 million tons of plastic are polluting the planet's ocean floors, including microplastics and larger objects like fishing nets, cups, and bags.

Judge Dismisses Suit by Anti-Wind Group That Sought to Block R.I.’s Approval of Revolution Wind Project

Wind NIMBY case thrown out

By Mary Lhowe / ecoRI News contributor

Even as the Revolution Wind project, approved by the state and federal governments, begins the work that will end with 65 turbines installed on the ocean floor southeast of Rhode Island, the project has survived a Hail Mary lawsuit by a citizens group bent on stopping offshore wind development.

A Newport County Superior Court judge ruled April 5 against Green Oceans in the group’s civil lawsuit, which sought to overturn a May 2023 vote by the Coastal Resources Management Council. That CRMC vote asserted that Revolution Wind met the requirements of the state’s Ocean Special Area Management Plan.

The wind project got its final federal approval in fall 2023 and land-based construction is now underway, with turbine installation projected to begin this year.

Green Oceans, a Rhode Island-based group that opposes offshore wind, filed suit against CRMC last June, claiming the council violated the state Constitution, state regulations, and its own responsibilities when it approved the Revolution Wind project on May 12, 2023.

Judge Richard Raspallo dismissed the civil suit on two main grounds. The first was that the Green Oceans appeal was filed too late, on June 20, 2023, well past the 30-day deadline following CRMC’s May 12 vote. The second was that Green Oceans was not a formal intervenor or party to the CRMC decision, so it had no standing to sue, and also no standing to receive an extension of the appeal filing deadline.