Sponges Serve as Monitors of Micropollution in the Ocean

     A huge problem within the realm of oceanic pollution is micropollutants, such as tiny plastic particles and fibers of textiles. Not only do they impact ocean life, but these tiny pieces of inorganic material can be ingested by sea life such as crabs, lobsters, and clams. These can then be ingested by people, and can be damaging to human health. A study by Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich, Germany shows that sponges can indicate the levels of micropollution. Sponges ingest their food by filtering out microorganisms from ocean water, so they can easily ingest micropollution as well. The university studied 15 sponge samples from off the shores of Banka in Northwestern Indonesia, where plastic pollution is heavy. The study reported more than 34 different types of pollutants within the sponges. They counted that per gram of sponge tissue, there were between 90 and 600 different pieces of micropollutants. Few other species can monitor the oceans this closely. The researchers are hopeful that this discovery will help scientists track the amounts of microplastics throughout the ocean, and that it would assist in fixing this global issue. 


https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201023123135.htm

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 10, 2020 at 4:00 PM

    It always amazes me when nature wants to live and maintain a clean environment and then people come around and screw everything up. I am glad people are finally trying to make a difference and aid the environment. Hopefully, the sponges are the start to a program that will be able to work to clean the ocean.

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  2. AnonymousNovember 13, 2020 at 5:24 AM

    I do feel like it's a good first step to know how much microplastic has made it into the ocean, but the hard part will be to prevent any more from ending up there. There are so many people who don't prioritize helping the environment so I'm worried it'll be really difficult to get everyone on the same track & actually make a difference. I remember everyone was talking about the turtles & how plastic hurts them at one point, & some places stopped giving out plastic straws, but I feel like many people are forgetting about it now.

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