Roughly 10 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the ocean each year, but only about 0.3 million tonnes float on the surface. Where does the rest go? The dizzying variety of forms plastic waste can take means that a fibre’s fate is just one mystery among countless others. Finding out where all the missing plastic ends up can help us figure out which parts of the ocean are most affected by this type of pollution – and where to focus clean-up efforts. But to do that, we need to be able to predict the pathways of different kinds of plastic, which requires large teams of physicists, biologists and mathematicians working together.
University of Alberta physicist Bruce Sutherland and his team of international collaborators shared what they’ve learned so far with The Conversation.
Physics News
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May 03, 2021
The Winter 2021 term has come to an end, and the Department of Physics has continued to deliver courses online, and research in experimental physics has continued under strict pandemic rules. Despite these challenges, activity in the department has continued to advance.
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April 23, 2021
Astrophysicists Erik Rosolowsky and Gregory Sivakoff are members of an international team which is building a new, state-of-the-art telescope in Chile.
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April 12, 2021
As a teenager, Igor Boettcher loved to read about the elementary particles that make up everything in the universe. Now he’s a physics faculty member who develops the mathematical and conceptual framework to understand findings, and proposes new experiments to learn more.
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March 25, 2021
Discovery could lead to better understanding of solar flares, geomantic substorms, and gamma-ray bursts, which pose serious dangers to orbiting satellites and telecommunications.
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March 16, 2021
Research is messier than portrayed in textbooks, but its rewards include honing new skills and participating in exciting discoveries.
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