Feb. 8, 2020: Marine Micro-plastics–A Complex & Emerging Issue
Photo: Gerry Beetham
Presentation by Mark Hahn, Ph.D.: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), Senior Scientist
Location: Harwich Community Center, #100 Oak Street, 02645
Day/date/time: Saturday, February 8th, 2:00 p.m.
Admission: Suggested donation of $5
Microplastics—small pieces of plastic less than a quarter inch in diameter—are the latest ocean pollutants to raise concern among scientists and the public. Reports about microplastics appear almost daily in the news, and research on microplastics has exploded. Yet we still don't have answers to many of the most fundamental questions about these pollutants. What are the major sources of microplastics? Where do they go once they enter the ocean? How do they impact marine life? Are they a threat to human health? What is being done about microplastics in the ocean? Learn about WHOI's Marine Microplastics Initiative and how oceanographic studies can help us better understand—and ultimately solve—this emerging problem.
About Mark Hahn:
Mark is a Senior Scientist in the Biology Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, MA. He also is a Project Leader in the Boston University Superfund Research Program and the Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health. Hahn received his PhD in Environmental Toxicology (1988) from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He conducted postdoctoral research at WHOI before being appointed to the scientific staff in 1992. Dr. Hahn's research foci include: molecular mechanisms and evolution of proteins involved in the response to chemicals, mechanisms of adaptation and evolved resistance to chemicals in fish following long-term chemical exposure, mechanisms of developmental toxicity of harmful algal bloom toxins, and recently, the impact of microplastics in the environment. Dr. Hahn is author or co-author of more than 160 papers in peer-reviewed journals and books.