NOAA Ocean Podcast

The Microplastic-Mussel Connection: Part One

Sep 30, 2020 · 16 min · 17.6 MB
0:00-16:56

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Podcast guests Amy V. Uhrin, chief scientist for NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, and Ed Johnson, physical scientist with NOAA's Mussel Watch Program. Here, Amy and Ed are shown collecting samples of invasive zebra mussels on a research vessel in Lake Michigan.

In this episode, we hear about a NOAA-funded study that asked an interesting question: what if mussels could be used to learn more about microplastic pollution in our waterways? NOAA already runs a program that monitors chemical contaminants in our coastal waterways and Great Lakes by sampling mussels and oysters called the Mussel Watch program. So wouldn’t it be great to tap into Mussel Watch to also learn more about plastics in our environment? Spoiler alert: the study didn’t turn out quite as expected. This is part one of a two-part episode.

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