Fate and Impact of Microplastics in Marine Ecosystems: From the Coastline to the Open Sea brings together highlights from the conference proceedings for MICRO 2016: Fate and Impact of Microplastics in Marine Ecosystems: From the Coastline to the Open Sea. While the presence of microplastics in ecosystems has been reported in the scientific literature since the 1970's, many pressing questions regarding their impacts remain unresolved. This short format title draws from the shared scientific and technical material and summarizes the current research and future outlook.
After earning a double degree in geology (University of Barcelona) and oceanography (University of Perpignan) in 1998, Juan went on to receive his PhD in marine geophysics under the direction of Dr. Jean-Pierre Rehault at the Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer and the Institut Français de Recherche pour l' Exploitation de la Mer in Brest, France. His PhD dissertation, "Formation et évolution des canyons sous- marins du Golfe du Lion : relation avec les cycles glacio-eustatiques” was developed while he was working on a team led by Dr. Jean-Louis Olivet, and was presented in November of 2004. During his time as a student, he participated in eight oceanographic research cruises, including (i) the first oceanographic cruise of the research vessel Hesperides through the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Canary Islands in 1998 and (ii) in early 2000, he completed a month-long research cruise in the Bransfield Basin of the Antarctic continent.
With over 50 publications, Juan’s work focuses on the evolution and current state of the coastal and oceanic system, ranging from the coast to the deep sea. Much of his work incorporates his interest in the earth-human system and investigates the ways in which humans modify "natural" processes, with a specific emphasis on ethics in relation to concerns of coastal communities.
In 2010, he joined Professor Jean-Paul Vanderlinden’s research team at the Observatoire de Versailles SQY. Juan’s dedication to interdisciplinary research has connected him with local, regional, national, and international experts through his work on projects such as (i) THESEUS: "Innovative technologies for safer European coasts in a changing climate" and (ii) ARTISTICC: "Adaptation to Transdisciplinary Research and Policy Community Centered Approach", this project seeks to analyze how knowledge, in all its dimensions, can be mobilized to foster coastal adaptation to climate change.
Also, since 2007, Juan has drawn from his firm commitment to collaborative, ethical, and interdisciplinary research to coordinate Marine Sciences For Society: a network of concerned scientists working to enhance the dialogue between marine scientists and society as a whole.
Bethany Jorgensen graduated from the University of Chicago in 2008 and is currently a graduate student at the University of Maine. She has been an editor for Marine Sciences For Society since 2009, and became a co-coordinator of the group in 2014.
Sabine Pahl is Associate Professor (Reader) in Psychology at Plymouth University. Her applied areas of interest are marine conservation, restorative environments and energy, especially the role of behaviour change. Sabine is part of a Southwest team that has demonstrated the psychological benefits of ‘blue space’ environments such as oceans, and the detrimental effect of marine litter. She was the lead social scientist in the MARLISCO project focused on Marine Litter in European Seas (marlisco.eu). The role of the Plymouth team was to evaluate science-in-society activities in 14 European countries plus Turkey, summarised in a guide for influencing behaviour. Sabine is one of only two social scientists involved in the United Nations GESAMP Working Group 40 on ocean microplastics, and the Phase 1 report contains recommendations for more behavioural science. Since 2010 Sabine has had research funding from various agencies including EPSRC, ESRC, FP7, DEFRA and H2020. She is the Secretary for the International Association of Applied Psychology’s Environmental Division and was the lead convenor for two sessions (behaviour change and perceptions of climate change) at the UNFCC COP21 science conference in Paris in July, which summarised the science to inform the COP 21 policy meeting in December this year.
Richard C. Thompson is a Professor at the Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre School of Marine Science and Engineering at Plymouth University.
Jean-Paul Vanderlinden is a Professor of Environmental Studies and Ecological Economics at the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ). Additionally, he is the coordinator of the “Adaptation Research, a Trans-disciplinary Transnational Community and Policy Centred Approach” project from the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research.
