Microplastics are present in all five of the Great Lakes, but there is no coordinated, basinwide effort to monitor and report on the status of plastic pollution. In a new report, the International Joint Commission (IJC)’s Great Lakes Science Advisory Board proposes regional coordination to systematically measure Great Lakes microplastics.
The board is hosting a one-hour public webinar on the report’s findings at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, February 12. Experts from the work group will summarize the report and answer audience questions. Advanced registration is required for this free public webinar via bit.ly/SAB-MICRO.
The report summarizes current research on microplastics and impacts on the Great Lakes ecosystem. The board recommends that microplastics be adopted as an indicator of ecosystem health and designated as a ‘Chemical of Mutual Concern’ under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
“Plastic is a part of modern life and pervasive throughout the Great Lakes ecosystem,” said Rebecca Rooney, Canadian co-chair of the Science Advisory Board’s Research Coordination Committee. “Yet, the monitoring and reporting on microplastics is largely project-based. The board offers actionable tools to help the Canadian and US governments take a common and routine approach to monitoring microplastics,” added Rooney, also an associate professor of biology at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
The report suggests specific frameworks for standardized sampling methods and risk-based management.
“Adopting microplastics as an indicator of ecological health would improve our understanding of their prevalence and environmental impacts,” said Karen Kidd, member of the board’s Science Priority Committee.
“The frameworks proposed in this report could be leveraged for systematic and coordinated monitoring, assessment and management,” said Kidd, also professor and Jarislowsky Chair of Environment and Health at McMaster University in Ontario.
Download an infographic summarizing the report findings at https://ijc.org/sites/default/files/SAB_MicroplasticsReport_Infographic.pdf.
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