Charleston is one of the fastest growing areas in the United States. Aggressive development is rapidly consuming forested lands and wetlands, sea levels are rising, storms are more intense, rainfalls are heavier, and floods are more frequent. Production of plastic products that result in microplastic contamination is only increasing with development and is quickly introducing plastic pollutants to the environment. Increases in flood frequency have exacerbated microplastic pollution in Charleston’s waterways and marshes as tire particles are washed from roadways into waterways through storm water runoff, serving as vectors for pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and chemical pollutants. Paired with rapid development and plastic pellet spills, flooding has made Charleston’s waterways have become extremely susceptible to microplastic pollution, putting the health of our waterways and the organisms within at stake.
Charleston’s characteristic salt marsh and estuarine ecosystems offer provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services such as coastal protection by wave attenuation, the reduction of flooding risks, and the safety of Charleston’s many developed areas along the coast. Among estuarine environments, salt marshes are of particular risk to microplastic pollution due to their roles in nutrient cycling, contaminant filtering and removal, and nursery and fisheries activities as the pathogenic bacteria and chemical pollutants residing on the surfaces of microplastics readily accumulate in these environments Monitoring, protecting and restoring our waterways and wetlands is critical for ensuring the health of Charleston’s salt marsh and estuarine ecosystems today and for future generations.
Barbara Beckingham, Ph.D. is a professor of Geology at the College of Charleston. Her research interests related to microplastics include bioavailability of chemicals of concern from microplastic, fate of microplastics and associated chemicals through wastewater treatment plants, transport of contaminants in tidal creeks and storm water ponds, and exposure of college students and marine mammals to plastics and associated chemicals (phthalates).
Best known for his landmark studies assessing the sources, fate and effects of plastic and microplastic pollution along the South Carolina coast, John Weinstein, Ph.D. and a professor of Biology at The Citadel, received the 2022 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution.
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Many organizations are working to mitigate the issues associated with microplastic contamination in Charleston's marine ecosystems. Check out some of their work below: