Microplastic Trapping Corals

Which of these catches more plastic particles- sand beds, coral reefs, sea grass beds, or macro-algae?

A study released last month by Jaco C. de Smit et al. looked at how different nearshore habitats trap and collect micro plastics.

They looked how sand/ sediment bed, sea grass, macro algae, and Stylophora (coral) were able to trap 2 different sizes of micro-plastics- 2.5mm and .5 mm.

What they found is that habitats with more complex structures trapped a higher amount of micro-plastics, but the area which trapped the most micro plastics was the sediment, which trapped 1 to 2 times more than any of the other areas.

The reason they believe this happened is because of the near-bed turbulent kinetic energy which is a contributing factor to sediment trapping.

Of the 2 different sizes of microplastics that were trapped, the .5mm particles seemed to be trapped more frequently than the 2.5 mm particles.

We already know micro-plastics are an issue, why does study this matter?

Nearshore ecosystems, like sea grass beds and coral reefs are hugely productive ecosystems and act as nurseries for many species of fish and sharks. According to this study they have large capacity for sequestering plastic. With these areas that are used by animals in vulnerable life stages, being inundated with micro plastics, it is much easier for them to get ingested and cause issues starting from early on. If the inhabitants of these area start to have issues, so too with the areas themselves.

To read their full article search here.

Sea Level Rise; Thinking outside the box, Louisiana is planning for the future!

Image from: https://ian.macky.net/pat/map/us/la/la.html

What would you do if your waterfront property was likely to be under water in the near future?

Louisiana is fully aware that a large portion of their southern most residents will need to move inland thanks to rising sea levels, increased frequency of natural disasters and stronger storms. but don’t worry, they have a plan!

Earlier this year the state issued a blueprint to help prepare inland communities for the future influx of people moving away from coastal areas.

This impressive proposal is the first of its kind in the U.S. and while it initially seems like a very lofty goal, when its broken down into the basic components, it makes a lot of sense.

In the proposal, southeast Louisiana is broken down into risk zones- high, moderate, and low- before discussing ways to assist residents who will be moving out of high risk areas, into “receiving communities” located further inland.

The plan discusses ways to help support the growing inland communities as well as ways to strengthen existing coastal towns with stronger buildings codes and storm water management systems. It suggests that certain public services such as schools, grocery and medical be built on floating platforms. Part of the plan even includes diverting parts of the mighty Mississippi River.

In conclusion, yes, this is an expensive ($50 billion) and ambitious plan to be sure, but what is to say that it won’t be successful. No matter where you are, change is inevitable and in order to be successful we must be able to adapt.

If you would like to read more about the plan, Click here.