Microplastic Monitoring & Science Strategy for the Chesapeake Bay

Description

In 2019, the Chesapeake Bay Program's Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) sponsored a workshop to evaluate the state of the knowledge within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, resulting in several action items including developing a science strategy on microplastics. As a result, the Chesapeake Bay Program's Management Board formed the Plastic Pollution Action Team (PPAT) and charged it to develop a preliminary ecological risk assessment model, a size classification document and this science strategy. Many of the topics from those first two documents are found in this document to formulate a strategy to address microplastics Bay-wide. 

This strategy document provides an overview of management needs regarding implementing policies to reduce plastic pollution, which would result in reduction in microplastics. Answering these knowledge gaps will provide a defensible position for policy development. To do this, PPAT recommends implementing a monitoring program within the framework of the existing Bay-wide monitoring programs. Additionally, data gaps important for basic research are noted as these can be filled by specific studies or within a monitoring program. This strategy is intended to be a starting point to develop research priorities, monitoring efforts and policy development. It is expected to be updated in the future as more work is completed and new paradigms emerge.