Miriam C. Goldstein

The North Pacific Gyre is among the oldest and largest ecosystems on earth- but it may be in danger from a deluge of accumulated plastic trash. Dubbed the "Great Pacific Trash Heap," the debris at the center of the North Pacific has the potential to damage marine life and alter the biological environment. Though this issue has recently received popular media attention leading to policy changes such as plastic bag bans, there is little scientific information on the composition, extent, and effects of the debris. The small pieces of plastic that make up most of the material are not detectable by satellites or airplanes, and any detailed scientific sampling must be done by ships capable of traveling far from land.

I served as Chief Scientist for a student-led expedition to explore the problem of plastic in the North Pacific Gyre. From August 2-21, 2009, a group of doctoral students and research volunteers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego embarked on an expedition aboard the Scripps research vessel New Horizon exploring the problem of plastic in the North Pacific Gyre.

For more on SEAPLEX science, see our technical webpage and our outreach webpage.

My own research

My own interest is in the impact of plastic debris on marine invertebrates. Plastic debris can serve as a "raft" for benthic (bottom-associated) invertebrates. Debris has already been responsible for at least one exotic species introduction in the Atlantic, and the isolated islands of the central Pacific are ecologically vulnerable. I am analyzing the composition of macroinvertebrate fouling organisms in order to identify potential invasive species.

I am also interested in the impact on zooplankton. Are they ingesting plastic debris? Are they adversely impacted by the presence of artificial hard surfaces in the central gyre? I am in the process of designing additional experiments to start to answer these questions.