Tag: University of Portsmouth

Road pollution ‘stressing’ ocean life with complex chemical cocktails, new study finds

Stuart Mitchell

Chemicals released from car tyres as they wear down are washing into rivers, estuaries and the sea and they could be disrupting life at the base of the marine food web, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth found that just four days of exposure to three common tyre-derived chemicals significantly slowed the growth of tiny marine algae known as diatoms – single-celled plants that produce oxygen and support entire ocean ecosystems. The study focused on a species called Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a diatom that like others,…

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Microplastics are everywhere – but our methods to track them are all over the place

Stuart Mitchell

A new study from the University of Portsmouth has highlighted the growing role of citizen science in tackling one of the planet’s most pervasive pollution problems: microplastics and mesoplastics. While researchers often warn that a lack of standardised protocols risks muddying the waters, this research shows that public involvement could be key to plugging the data gaps and that comparability rather than conformity is key. The study compared three leading sampling protocols across coastal sites in southern England. These methods included two citizen science sampling protocols, the Big Microplastic Survey…

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UK is falling behind international efforts as microplastics infiltrate food, bodies, and ecosystems

Stuart Mitchell

Researchers warn the UK is falling behind international efforts as microplastics infiltrate food, bodies, and ecosystems The UK government must urgently draw up a comprehensive national strategy to tackle microplastic pollution or risk falling further behind international efforts to address one of the most pervasive environmental threats of our time, researchers have warned. A new policy brief, delivered to MPs earlier this  month by the University of Portsmouth’s Global Plastics Policy Centre, outlines the growing scale of the crisis and calls for a coordinated UK roadmap with clear targets and…

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University of Portsmouth hosts event to advance national reuse systems

Stuart Mitchell

Reuse systems take a significant step forward as leading international experts met in Portsmouth last month to develop a future policy blueprint for implementing reuse systems. Hosted by the University of Portsmouth’s Global Plastics Policy Centre (GPPC), the event brings together 50 key stakeholders, including academics, reuse businesses, policymakers, NGOs, producer responsibility organisations (PROs), and policy think tanks. With global plastic waste reaching record levels, reuse systems, in which single-use plastic items are replaced by reusable items, are increasingly recognised as a more economically and environmentally beneficial solution to the…

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Game On: New computer game aims to tackle plastic pollution

Stuart Mitchell

Harnessing the power of gaming to change the way we think about plastic waste is the focus of a new project by a team of scientists from the University of Portsmouth’s  Revolution Plastics Institute. The project combines multidisciplinary expertise from academia and industry to create a commercially viable game that engages players in understanding waste management.  In partnership with leading games developer Harnessing the power of gaming to change the way we think about plastic waste is the focus of a new project by a team of scientists from the…

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