Plastic impacts on Ocean's biogeochemical cycles in the Anthropocene

Project description

Study throws light on how microplastics affect the oceans’ biogeochemical cycles

Plastic pollution is an increasingly present threat to marine ecosystems. When microscopic particles (microplastics) are discarded into waterways, they can interact with microbial communities and alter their distribution and activity. In addition, they can perturb the biogeochemical cycling events in which microbes participate. The EU-funded PLOCEAN project will combine field observations and theoretical studies to investigate how microplastics affect the microbes’ ability to transform organic compounds. The project will use cutting-edge polymer characterisation and metagenomics techniques to study plastic-specific microbial communities, their contribution to organic particles' ageing and their interaction with organic matrices. An important part of the work will be devoted to outreach activities and citizen science.

Field of science

• /natural sciences/earth and related environmental sciences/geochemistry/biogeochemistry
• /natural sciences/biological sciences/ecology/ecosystems
• /natural sciences/chemical sciences/inorganic chemistry/inorganic compounds

Programme(s)

• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility

Topic(s)

• MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships

Call for proposal

H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships

Coordinator

HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM FUR OZEANFORSCHUNG KIEL

Address

Wischhofstrasse 1-3
24148 Kiel
Germany

Activity type

Research Organisations

EU contribution

€ 264 669,12

Partners (1)

FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

United States

Address

Glades Road 777
33431 0991 Boca Raton

Activity type

Higher or Secondary Education Establishments