At the beach, it’s easy to see litter items like bottles, cans and bags. But there are smaller plastics that may go undetected. We wondered how many of these microplastics were on our beaches and we have been working with New Hampshire Sea Grant (NHSG) to find out.
Dr. Gabriela Bradt from NHSG designed a study that involves sampling 1-meter squared plots at several New Hampshire beaches. We sieve the top layer of sand to look for microplastics (plastics between 1-5mm in size). Samples are then sorted and separated into several categories: foams (Styrofoam or insulation pieces), fragments (hard plastic pieces), films (e.g., straw wrappers), filaments (e.g., pieces of synthetic rope or fabric), plastic pellets (“nurdles”), and cigarette parts.
Last year, we sampled six NH beaches: Wallis Sands, Jenness Beach, North Hampton Beach, Hampton Beach, Hampton Harbor and Seabrook Beach. Foams made up more than half of the microplastics found on these beaches.
We have concluded our sampling for 2016, but are looking for volunteers to help with sampling and sorting in 2017. Click here to fill out a volunteer application and get on our list!
