Locating microplastic hotspots along the Texas coast
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Jul-2025 09:10 ET (23-Jul-2025 13:10 GMT/UTC)
There are trillions of microplastic particles, ranging in size from about one micrometer to a few millimeters, on Earth. Many of these particles end up in the oceans, where they disrupt nutrient cycles, are ingested by marine animals or transport pollutants. To better understand how microplastics accumulate and disperse in marine environments, new research published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology reflects efforts to locate hotspots — areas with high concentrations of microplastics — in Texas coastal bays.
Based on data in the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and the life cycle approach, the Amalur EIS environmental information system, created by the Ekopol group of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), enables environmental impacts at national, regional and/or municipal level to be analysed. The researchers also analysed the results of data collected at industrial plants in the Basque Country between 2007-2022.
Established in 2012, the New Sunshine Hospital School in China provides free educational support to hospitalized children aged 3 to 14 to address gaps in their education and development. In a recent article in ECNU Review of Education, researchers use this program as a case study to discuss and explore how and what contributes to the success of this educational support initiative in the hospital, offering insights to counter a global educational challenge.
Large-scale multidisciplinary ecological survey reveals long-term changes in the eastern Indian sector of the Southern Ocean