Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2014IL286B

Anthropogenic litter and microplastic in urban streams: abundance, source, and fate

Institute: Illinois
Year Established: 2014 Start Date: 2014-05-01 End Date: 2014-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $10,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $27,152

Principal Investigators: Timothy Hoellein

Project Summary: The proposed research represents a significant contribution to the study of AL in rivers, which has received little research attention. Documenting the abundance, composition, and flux of AL in rivers will elucidate major AL sources and sinks and will assist in the development of efficient management and prevention policies. Microplastic is a newly emerging field of study. The proposed work will contribute to this new topic by quantifying the source and abundance of microplastic in rivers, and provide the foundation for examining effects on biofilm organisms and higher tropic levels.