According to estimates in a 2015 report by the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, The New Plastics Economy, if we remain on our current track, the ocean could contain more plastics than fish, by weight, by 2050. However, determining the quantity of plastic in the ocean and the number of fish, and then projecting 34 years into the future, makes these calculations uncertain. But the message is clear. We have a problem with plastics in the ocean.
Plastics, once they've entered waterways, are swept downstream. Sunlight helps plastics break into smaller and smaller pieces, first into microplastics, which at their biggest we can still see, then into nanoplastics, which are so small that not only can we not see them but also they can become airborne and we end up breathing them in.
To better understand the impact of plastics in aquatic environments, we need to determine where they go once they enter this environment. And the key element in this journey is water. Rain and melting snow wash plastics into streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and, eventually, the ocean. But what happens to plastics along the way? Do they accumulate in specific areas in our rivers and lakes, and if so, where? Do they sink or float? How far do they travel?
These are the kinds of questions that a dedicated team at the NRC is working with partners to answer.
The NRC's Ocean River and Coastal Engineering Research Centre has extensive expertise in developing computer models that mimic natural systems. Researchers there have now created a computer model to predict how plastics move through the Ottawa River, the Beaufort Sea, the St. Lawrence River, the Strait of Georgia and the Fraser River.
Looking for microplastics and finding themin all the wrong places
To ensure the model can represent what is happening on the ground, or in this case, in the water, the NRC is working with Ocean Wise, an ocean conservation organization whose work includes innovating for a plastic-free ocean.
Vahid Pilechi is an NRC researcher and team lead. He explains that Ocean Wise is collecting data in the Fraser River and the Strait of Georgia for researchers to verify how realistic the model's predictions are about where plastics go in these waterways. One of the goals is to learn which areas the plastics pass through quickly and where they accumulate. "Ocean Wise conducts field sampling in these water bodies and we use these data to validate our model's predictions for accumulation zones," he says.
Pilechi says the team is continuously working to improve the model so that it more closely matches the situation in the real world. "It's a process of refining and verifying. The data from Ocean Wise provide us with insights that allow us to improve the model's predictions, which in turn gives us greater confidence in the model's predictions."
Developing a standard way to collect data on microplastics in Canada
A challenge in microplastics research is that different research teams in Canada and around the world use different data collection methods. This makes it difficult to compare what's happening in one region with what's happening in another (and even with what's happening in the same lab or river).
"The data on microplastics are not very comparable because they were collected with different tools in the field and analyzed with different methods and different protocols," Pilechi says. "That's why we need to develop a standard protocol especially for the Canadian climate, from coast to coast to coast."
"Our job at the NRC is to build technologies and tools that can inform decision makers, policymakers and the public about the scale of the problem and its impact. And this information is vital for developing mitigation strategies," says Pilechi.
What are microplastics and nanoplastics?
Microplastics are plastics smaller than 5 millimetres in size. We can see larger microplastics with our eyes, but most other microplastics we can't. Some are heavier that water, but most are lighter.
Nanoplastics are so small they're difficult to measure. It's hard to imagine, but 1 cubic centimetre of plastic—about the size of a dice—can generate 1 billion nanoplastic particles. And how nanoplastics behave in water is particularly complex.
"What we're doing is taking a first step toward providing insights and developing the essential tools, knowledge, and information needed for informed decision-making. This is especially important for the younger generation, as they have the greatest impact on society. They influence their parents and are destined to become future leaders."
Vahid Pilechi
NRC researcher and team lead