Marine litter, microplastics and marine vertebrates

Growing evidence suggests that anthropogenic litter, particularly plastic pollution, represents a highly pervasive and persistent threat to global marine ecosystems. An understanding of where debris originates from, where it ends up and how it affects marine habitats and species is crucial for informing policies aimed mitigating the harm it may cause. In this talk, I will give an overview of the various projects I have worked on to map marine litter and explore the extent and impacts of plastic ingestion on marine vertebrates, such as turtles and marine mammals. I will also highlight some of the key research questions that I hope to address in the future.