Chesapeake Bay Plastic Survey
Chesapeake Bay Plastic Survey
Plastic pollution is a persistent and widespread feature of nearly all ecosystems today and poses a risk to both human and animal life. The extent of plastic pollution has not yet been quantified nor characterized for the Chesapeake Bay. Ocean Research Project, an Annapolis-based nonprofit, will fill this knowledge gap by spearheading the first-ever plastic survey of the Chesapeake Bay. To account for high and low flows, the project includes a 10-day cruise in late October 2023 and another 10-day cruise in the spring of 2024 aboard the Marie Tharp research vessel. During these cruises, a team of scientists will collect water samples to be processed and analyzed onboard. The sampling will occur in all major tributaries of the Bay, providing high-resolution data that can be used to assess plastic pollution as a new indicator of environmental health in the area.
Key Personnel
Timeframe
- Start: 2023-10-20
- Finish: 2025-01-01
- Duration: 1 year, 2 months