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Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters in length, which can be harmful to our oceans, aquatic life, and human beings. The interconnection between microplastics and climate change exacerbates environmental degradation and poses significant risks to ecosystems and human health.
Microplastics & Nurdles
Microplastics & Nurdles
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: National Geographic Education
Format: Encyclopedia article with photographs and glossary
Audience: Youth, teen, adult
Source: National Ocean Service
Format: Informative text with short, captioned video
Determining the composition of microplastic in water
Audience: Adult
Source: Phys.org
Format: Summary of scientific research
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: PennEnvironment
Format: Informative text with photographs
The plastic crisis: What's the big deal with microplastics?
Audience: Adult
Source: Environmental Health Sciences Center at the University of California, Davis
Format: Blog post with photographs
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health, Cornell University
Format: Blog post with photographs
Audience Youth, teen, adult
Format: Website of resources to stop nurdle pollution. Includes the Nurdle Hunt citizen science activity.
Primary & Secondary Microplastics
Primary & Secondary Microplastics
Primary Microplastics
What are the sources of microplastics?
Audience: Adult
Source: Microplastic Research Group
Format: Short, informative text with links to additional information
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Beat the Microbead (Plastic Soup Foundation)
Format: Informative text
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: CNN Health
Format: News article
Audience: Adult
Source: Environmental Research
Format: Scientific journal article
Choosing wisely: Textile Fibres
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: The Considerate Consumer
Format: Informative text
Microplastics in fertiliser: Common practice, unknown problem
Audience: Adult
Source: Plastic Soup Foundation
Format: Informative text
Laundry is a top source of microplastic pollution. Here’s how to clean your clothes more sustainably
Audience: Adult
Source: The Conversation
Format: News article with embedded video and photographs
Secondary Microplastics
Understanding the environmental fate of secondary microplastics
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Meteored
Format: News story
Weathering Makes Microplastics Even More Toxic
Audience: Adult
Source: Asian Scientist
Format: Magazine article
Plastic, from the Ocean to the atmosphere
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: SeaCleaners
Format: Informative text with infographics
Microplastic pollution: Understanding microbial degradation and strategies for pollutant reduction
Audience: Adult
Source: Science of the Total Environment
Format: Research article summary
Inside Fiji’s Fiery Battle Against Plastics
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Time Magazine via the Pulitzer Center
Format: News story with photographs and infographics
Environmental Impact
Environmental Impact
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Info Hub Plastic
Format: Searchable webpage of information and resources
Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
Microplastics (Marine debris)
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: NOAA Marine Debris Program
Format: Informative text
Audience: Youth, teen, adult
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Format: Gateway webpage to multimedia resources on marine pollution
Marine Garbage Patches
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: NOAA Marine Debris Program
Format: Informative text with infographics and links to additional information
Pinniped Entanglement in Marine Debris
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: NOAA Fisheries
Format: Informative text with embedded video and photographs
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Plastic Soup Foundation
Format: Informative text
The massive, unregulated source of plastic pollution you’ve probably never heard of
Audience: Adult
Source: Vox
Format: News story about nurdle beach spills with photographs
Tackling microplastics: Impact on the environment and the food chain
Audience: Adult
Source: Open Access Government-Environment News
Format: Science news article with photographs
Terrestrial Ecosystems
Plastic planet: How tiny plastic particles are polluting our soil
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: UN Environment Programme
Format: Informative text with photographs
Plastics in soil threaten health and agriculture
Audience: Adult
Source: World Economic Forum
Format: Informative text with links to additional resources.
Atmospheric Impact
Microplastics could trigger cloud formation and affect the weather, new study suggests
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: CNN
Format: News story with photographs
Microplastics Are Filling the Skies. Will They Affect the Climate?
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Yale Environment 360
Format: Informative text with infographics and photographs
Human Health Concerns
Human Health Concerns
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Break Free from Plastic
Format: Summary of toxins in plastic and recommendations for a global plastics treaty. PDF includes links to additional resources.
Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks
Audience: Adult
Source: Science News
Format: News article with infographics
Microplastics are in human testicles. It’s still not clear how they got there.
Audience: Adult
Source: Grist
Format: News article
Toxic chemicals from microplastics can be absorbed through skin
Audience: Adult
Source: Science Daily
Format: Research summary
I’m a Microplastics Researcher. Here’s How To Limit Their Dangers
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: University of California San Francisco
Format: Interview with public health scientist about microplastics in daily life. Includes a video.
The potential impacts of micro-and-nano plastics on various organ systems in humans
Audience: Adult
Source: The Lancet: eBioMedicine
Format: Journal article. Meta-analysis of studies on the effect of micro and nanoplastics on human health
Microplastic Mitigation and Removal
Microplastic Mitigation and Removal
Solutions to the "plastic soup"
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Plastic Soup Foundation
Searchable webpage of mitigation strategies, including microplastic removal
Ultrasound waves can help remove polluting microplastics in water
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Science News Explores
Format: News article with audio and photographs
New AI model helps detect and identify microplastics in wastewater
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Mongabay
Format: News article with photographs
Microplastics & Climate Change
Microplastics & Climate Change
The unbearable cost of single-use plastics
Audience: Adult
Source: FairFin
Format: Research report (PDF) commissioned by ClientEarth
How do airborne microplastics contribute to climate change?
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Innovation News Network
Format: Informative text
Microplastics pose risk to ocean plankton, climate, other key Earth systems
Audience: Adult
Source: Mongabay
Format: News story with photographs and infographics
Plastic degradation at sea: the global warming ticking bomb
Audience: Adult
Source: The SeaCleaners
Format: Informative text with embedded video
We know plastic pollution is bad – but how exactly is it linked to climate change?
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: World Economic Forum, Circular Economy Agenda
Format: Informative text with audio version, infographics, and embedded video
How plastics contribute to climate change
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Yale Climate Connections Climate Science
Format: Informative text
Videos
Videos
What Are Microplastics? Science for Kids
Audience: Youth, teen
Source: NSF Discovery Files for Kids YouTube playlist
Microplastics: where are they coming from, and why do they matter? | Ocean Stories
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Ocean Wise YouTube channel
Microplastics, a Macrodisaster (part 1) and
Audience: Teens, adult
Source: Save Our Seas Foundation YouTube channel
Audience: Adult
Source: PBS Frontline YouTube channel
Microplastics & Environmental Weathering
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: National Science Foundation News YouTube channel
[Microplastics] Why You Should Care
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: National Science Foundation News YouTube channel
Microplastic Pollution: The Big Problem with Tiny Plastic Webinar
Audience: Adult
Source: University of Illinois Extension YouTube channel
How dangerous are microplastics and how often do people ingest them?
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: CBS News YouTube channel
Microplastics in textiles may damage lung cells – extra risk with COVID-19, experts warn
Audience: Adult
Source: Plastic Health YouTube channel
Microplastics in Testicles and What Can We Do?
Audience: Adult
Source: Drbeen Medical Lectures YouTube channel
Audience: Teen, adult
Podcasts
Podcasts
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: National Ocean Service
Format: Short podcast with transcript
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: National Ocean Service
Format: Podcast with transcript
Microplastics are everywhere. What can we do about it?
Audience: Adult
Source: Washington Post Reports
Format: Podcast with explanatory text
Infographics
Infographics
Microplastics infographics
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Statista
Format: Bar graphs and explanatory text
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: Our World in Data
Format: Graphs and other infographic formats with explanatory text
Audience: Youth, teen, adult
Source: Boomerang Alliance
Format: Infographic to visualize plastic pollution in world oceans
Audience: Youth, teen, adult
Source: Reuters Graphics
Format: Series of images, including gifs, showing how much microplastic humans eat
Audience: Youth, teen, adult
Source: Plastic Oceans
Format: Infographic with photos
Teaching Materials
Teaching Materials
Lesson of the Day: ‘In the Ocean, It’s Snowing Microplastics’
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: New York Times Learning Network
Format: Discussion and writing lesson with embedded videos
Plastic Free MKE (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Resources
Audience: Youth, teens
Source: Plastic Free MKE
Format: Lesson plans, activities and links to other resources on plastics and microplastics
Audience: Teen
Source: Ocean Wise
Format: Lesson guide (PDF) about addressing plastic pollution (microplastics)
Microplastics Found in Every Human Placenta Tested in Study
Audience: Teen, adult
Format: Lesson plan
Source: The digital classroom, transforming the way we learn
Study Finds Small Plastic Pieces in Bottled Water
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: VOA Learning English
Format: Reading and audio with glossary and photographs
Study: Blue Whales Swallow 10 Million Microplastic Pieces a Day
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: VOA Learning English
Format: Reading and audio with glossary and photographs
Scientists Develop Robotic Fish to ‘Eat’ Microplastics
Audience: Teen, adult
Source: VOA Learning English
Format: Reading and audio with glossary and photographs
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