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Global Open Science Hardware

FEATURE

esearchers believe that of the 5.25

trillion pieces of marine plastic

in the world’s oceans today, 92%

are microplastics less than 5 mm

in size. These tiny plastic particles

can easily be ingested by marine life

as small as plankton, and studies have shown that

they are capable of absorbing up to a million times

more chemicals than their surrounding waters.

Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned

that widespread ingestion of these microplastics

is causing toxicants that accumulate in animals to

magnify up the food chain, causing a potential threat

to human health.

In response, Dr Max Liboiron created Open

Science Hardware project ‘BabyLegs’ as an

inexpensive means to trawl for floating marine

microplastics using nylon tights, soda pop bottles,

and other readily accessible materials. Dr Liboiron

designed the simple sampling system to mimic

the $3500 Manta Trawl, a commercial net used by

marine researchers to sample the surface of the

ocean. “In essence, BabyLegs looks like a little

person or jellyfish, and during presentations and field

research, we treat the technology like a doll because

it encourages people to approach us, talk to us,

and share images of the technology,” she explains.

“The goal of the project is to be as accessible as

possible so that people in Canada’s remote northern

communities can monitor plastics in their fishing and

hunting areas.”

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador has

over 18 000 miles of rugged coastline, which is

about twice as much as the entire United Kingdom.

Many of those living outside of St. John’s, the

province’s major city, do not have a regular income

and lack year-round access to external supplies. This

causes them to depend heavily, and even at times

exclusively, on the ocean for survival.

“Rural, low-income, and Aboriginal communities

rarely have control over the type of scientific

questions that are asked about their areas,” says

Dr Liboiron. “Our goal is to increase the ability

of underserved communities to identify, redress,

remediate, and create awareness and accountability

around environmental concerns.”

R

DIY citizen science projects

for monitoring marine plastics

Trawling

the Depths

Below

The BabyLegs plastic

pollution monitoring

device in action

Images

Clear