Nurdles on Petrie Island along the Ottawa River
Was not happy to find these during my turtle nesting surveys last week! Many were found just on the surface of the sand I am terrified to think about what lies deeper in the sand. Time to take action (:
3 Comment(s)
I have never seen these before, so scary!
That's so disappointing. I've never seen them before, I'll have to look beyond the plastic bottles and cigarette butts...!
Clare Stone
Jul 2, 2020They're sooo tiny!! I only know what they look like cause I was helping with microplastic surveys last summer and they were all deep in the sand. But yes keep a look out! :)
Great work! They also camouflage with lighter sand beaches and can be a real pain to find. I know some people use sieves to remove them from sand (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIqpZHJVFzo)
Clare Stone
Jul 2, 2020Thanks Adrian! The water level has finally dropped around the island so they appeared on the top. Last summer when doing microplastic surveys in Ucluelet, BC I used sieves then sorted them into 3 categories - nurdles, styrofoam & hard plastics. I'm currently searching to see if anyone is doing current studies here in Ottawa that is similar. :D
Claire Wilson
Jul 12, 2020