Hull researchers head to the Mekong to tackle plastic pollution
The Mekong River in Southeast Asia is one of the world’s great waterways, fertile and ecologically diverse with millions relying on it for their food, but it’s increasingly clogged with plastic pollution.
To help address the mounting problem, a team of researchers from the University of Hull are documenting how plastic travels down the river, from Laos to Vietnam and into the ocean.
Called ‘River of Plastic’ it is the first study systematic study of plastic transportation in the mega-river. Previous research has shown that the top 10 most polluting rivers contribute the majority of the plastic that ends up in the world’s oceans.
Researchers hope to use the data to develop new models that predict the distribution of plastic waste in rivers and as it enters the ocean. They say this will be crucial for future predicting how plastic travels through global rivers systems as well as how different sources of plastic enters the marine environment.
Thomas Barrett
