Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 22 minutes ago
What can we do about microplastics in our ocean and drinking water if we don't even know how much is out there?
To help solve this problem (and save themselves from having to painstakingly count tiny particles captured in filters), Beckett Colson and Sarah Youngs of WHOI's Chemical Sensors Lab have developed a portable tool that can analyze freshwater for microplastics. They can bring the device, named Scout, to any lake, river, or drinking water supply and immediately get a read on the size and quantity of plastics in that water!
The two scientists are working on a smaller prototype that can one day be used on underwater robots, or even attach to your kitchen faucet. This tech will help scientists and resource managers understand the scale of the microplastic problem– and allow them to target and assess the outcome of cleanup efforts.
📲 Learn more about WHOI’s Microplastics Initiative:microplastics.whoi.edu/
What can we do about microplastics in our ocean and drinking water if we don't even know how much is out there?
To help solve this problem (and save themselves from having to painstakingly count tiny particles captured in filters), Beckett Colson and Sarah Youngs of WHOI's Chemical Sensors Lab have developed a portable tool that can analyze freshwater for microplastics. They can bring the device, named Scout, to any lake, river, or drinking water supply and immediately get a read on the size and quantity of plastics in that water!
The two scientists are working on a smaller prototype that can one day be used on underwater robots, or even attach to your kitchen faucet. This tech will help scientists and resource managers understand the scale of the microplastic problem– and allow them to target and assess the outcome of cleanup efforts.
📲 Learn more about WHOI’s Microplastics Initiative:microplastics.whoi.edu/
![Boundary of Creation [TEASER]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ggd9SLnns4w/mqdefault.jpg "Boundary of Creation [TEASER]
Project FAMOUS (French-American Mid-Ocean Undersea Study) marked a significant milestone as the first marine scientific exploration conducted by manned submersibles at a diverging tectonic plate boundary on a mid-ocean ridge. Taking place from 1971 to 1974, a multinational team of scientists focused their efforts on a specific section of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, approximately 700 kilometers west of the Azores. Utilizing innovative methods and specialized equipment, the researchers were able to examine the sea floor in unprecedented detail. This groundbreaking project successfully identified the primary mechanisms responsible for creating the median rift valley on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and mapped the zone of oceanic crustal accretion.
Watch the full report here: https://youtu.be/WtdDtgFshn4
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution")
