Plastics from source to sink
Providing evidence to understand and tackle the plastics challenge in freshwaters.
Key contacts
Professor Isabelle Durance
Professor and Director of the Water Research Institute
- durance@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)7800 774491 / +44 (0)29 2087 4484
About
Plastic pollution is well recognised in marine ecosystems but less attention is being given to freshwater environments. However, tonnes of plastics pass through rivers every year, affecting their ecosystems and people who depend on them.
The density of plastic particules in river beds sometimes can be as much as half a million particules per square meter, much more than the living organisms present in the rivers.
Plastic pollution is perceived as an increasing priority by the water industry, environmental regulators, government, the plastics and packaging industries, and ordinary people concerned about the state of the environment.
Our group is approaching this issue from a range of disciplinary angles. This includes researching sustainable behaviours around plastic use, designing more environmentally-friendly plastics, and investigating the potential impact of plastics on freshwater ecosystems.
Current initiatives
PhD projects
Biodegradable plastics in freshwater ecosystems
- Student: Tom Allison
- Supervisor: Isabelle Durance
Cascading effects of micro and nano-plastics on lipid quality and transfer through freshwater planktonic ecosystems
- Student: Ben McClay
- Supervisor: Irina Guschina
- Partner: Cardiff Harbour Authority
Influence of microplastics on freshwater ecosystems at a catchment scale and the contribution of tyre dust
- Student: Gemma Muller
- Supervisor: Steve Ormerod
Transport and fate of microplastics
- Student: James Lofty
- Supervisor: Catherine Wilson
Group members
How plastic gets to the sea, and what we can do to stop it.