Traditional beach season is ending, but we’re not done at the beach yet. We still have important work to do to learn about the threat of plastics on our local beaches!
For the last 4 years, we’ve partnered with New Hampshire Sea Grant on a study of microplastics on our beaches. Microplastics are small plastics 1-5mm in size. From April – October (weather permitting), we’ve been sampling 5 local beaches to determine the amount and presence of microplastics. In the fall, we sort and tally the samples to figure out how abundant microplastics are on our beaches, and what types are most common.
Want to help? There are a couple ways to get involved.
- Sorting Dates Now Posted! Our sampling sessions have ended until April or May 2018, but we now need to sort our 2017 samples. This involves inside work – sorting samples into organic and inorganic matter, and then tallying the different types of microplastics on a data sheet.
Sign Up for Sorting! - Sampling has concluded for 2017. We expect to start back up in April or May, depending upon weather and snow cover. Fill out a volunteer application to be informed of upcoming sampling dates.
More About the Project:
