PPP, january 2021 news

Léna Thomas was hired (PPP funding, September 2020) to monitor the floating microplastics contamination in local coastal areas. In 2020, two campaigns were carried out in the bay of Brest, in the Bay of Douarnenez and in the Iroise Sea (in collaboration with the PNMI) on a total of 18 sampling sites using a Manta net or a double Neuston net at a standard 335µm mesh. This marine sampling was done at the same time that the watershed sampling by Labocea and EPAB. The samples are being analyzed and the data will be used by Actimar for hydrodynamics modeling of the flows of floating plastic debris at the scale of each watershed.
For the assessment of ecological impacts, two postdocs were hired, Kevin Tallec (PPP funding, July 2020) and Camille Détrée (Ifremer postdoctoral fellowship, September 2020). K. Tallec carried out two experiments to determine toxicity of chemical compounds released by rubber fragments (tires, playground residues) on different life stages of oyster (gametes, embryos, young adults). Camille Détrée has begun to work on the risks associated with the presence of synthetic and natural microfibers in the environment and their ingestion by marine bivalves.
A large work package focuses on “Enabling transformational change” from first use to end of life of plastics. The objective here is to increase the number of events aimed at the general public, specialized audiences, and the young generation, including schoolchildren, to disseminate the scientific and operational results of the project in order to stimulate awareness and action. Although most of the school interventions were postponed to 2021 due to the Covid crisis, an intervention was carried out in December targeting 6 primary classes at the Guérin school in Brest. Finally, Lemar took part in several awareness-raising actions on plastic pollution and solutions, most of them organized by Océanopolis, such as the Science Festival, the researchers’ night, a general public conference, the School Plastic Hackathon.