Science and Sustainability

welcome to

science and sustainability

low waste living led by facts

recent posts

follow me on instagram

ocean.alanna

Science and Sustainability
• Marine Scientist 🌊
• @umiamirsmas BSc 🙌
• @umassdsmast PhD Student 🎓

The other day I saw a post on here that said somet

The other day I saw a post on here that said something like “most fishing gear is discarded immediately after use.” Now I don’t recall this statement being made in Seaspiracy, but the post I saw was talking about things learned from the film. In case this is a widespread belief, I think it’s important people know that fishing gear is not single-use. Scientists use the terminology of “abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear” (ALDFG) to describe derelict unmanned gear in the ocean. In the vast majority of cases, the loss of fishing gear is unintentional, and is most frequently the result of bad weather (69% of cases) or gear conflict (22%). The same study from 2019 estimates that about 6% of all fishing nets, 9% of all traps, and 29% of all lines are lost globally each year. Of course we would love for all of these numbers to be zero, but it is not typical or even preferred to discard gear immediately after use. Just out of practicality, fishers wouldn’t want to pay for new gear constantly. This is really a problem that no one from any side wants to see happening. Unfortunately, it’s also a problem that most of us can’t take direct action to change. But what we can do is open a dialogue with fisheries and our local legislatures about possible solutions. It’s always important to be an informed consumer, so try writing in and asking fisheries what actions they have taken to reduce gear loss. If there isn’t a satisfying answer, I have some suggestions in my stories of ideas to bring up. If you choose to open a dialogue, please remember to be polite and respectful. We all need to be on the same team to find solutions! .
•
#zerowaste #earthfriendly #goingzerowaste #green2021 #greenliving #livingconsciously #passonplastic #plasticfreeearth #positiveimpactmovement #reducewhatyouproduce #reduceyourfootprint #sustainableliving #sustainablelivingtips #womeninoceanscience #oceanawareness #oceanoptimism #oceanoptimist #sustainability #plasticpollution #aldfg #fishinggear #ghostgear #bethechange #makeadifference #sustainablefishing

Will the oceans be empty of fish by 2048? As a sci

Will the oceans be empty of fish by 2048? As a scientist, I’ve been taught to not to discount anything as impossible. But based on the best available science that we have now, no, that projection is not accurate. It comes from a 2006 paper by Worm et al., which was refuted by the authors in 2009 (a very big deal in academia) for mischaracterization of the results. In the original paper, the authors stipulate that the outcome would only be that dire without any corrections or improvement in fisheries management. Over a decade later, with a decade worth of research, a better understanding of fish stocks, and new management applications, we are in a much more sustainable place. I also want to direct people to my stories - it’s too much to get into in one post, but I want to explain some basic fisheries terms. Unfortunately, the public has been made to think that “fully exploited” means mismanaged, but is actually just the phrase fisheries managers use to convey efficiency. If you’re concerned about the oceans becoming empty, one of the best things you can do is lower your carbon footprint! While coral reefs occupy less than 1% of the ocean, they support about 25% of all sea life. Coral reefs are under threat of collapse by climate change. Here are some ways to reduce your carbon footprint: .
🌊 eat local and in season - the transportation of food has a large carbon footprint.
🌊 compost! This avoids anaerobic decomposition resulting in methane.
🌊 avoid fast fashion. Try to buy secondhand.
🌊 turn off the lights when you aren’t in a room. Super easy!
🌊 wash your clothes on cold, and line dry.
🌊 carpool, bike, use public transportation, or whatever options are available to you to reduce driving.
Share your tips in the comments!
•
#zerowaste #earthfriendly #goingzerowaste #carbonfootprint #green2021 #greenliving #livingconsciously #lowimpactlifestyle #positiveimpactmovement #reducewhatyouproduce #reduceyourcarbonfootprint #sustainableliving #sustainablelivingtips #womeninoceanscience #oceanawareness #oceanoptimism #oceanoptimist #sustainability #coralreefs #emptyoceans #fisheriesmanagement #fisheries #earthmonth #climatechange #oceanacidification

Hey there, if you’ve seen my stories over the pa

Hey there, if you’ve seen my stories over the past few days (or my saved highlights) you know I have a lot of thoughts on Seaspiracy. While I think it created an important dialogue, it was filled with misrepresentation of facts, data taken out of context, and inaccuracies. It’s too much to get into in one post, so for now I’m just going to bring up one common misconception for the film: what items make up the majority of ocean plastic pollution? .
If you’ve watched the film, you might have taken from it the idea that fishing gear makes up the majority, or 46%, of ocean plastic. The study that was referenced however was limited to one area of the Pacific Garbage Patch. The ocean is very patchy in terms of both distribution of plastic and the types of plastic seen. We can’t extrapolate the finding from the Pacific Garbage Patch to the entire ocean. In many other studies, especially those done along coastlines of populated areas, the amount of land-based trash dwarfs that of fishing gear found. In fact, it is estimated that fishing gear makes up about 10% of all ocean plastic pollution worldwide. This is still certainly a non-negligible amount, but not quite the majority that Seaspiracy makes it out to be. If you came away from this film concerned about plastic pollution, I encourage you to support the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act in congress right now by contacting your representatives. There is a simple way to do this through the link in my bio! Also check out my feed for lots more ways to reduce your plastic footprint. This is a problem that needs to be tackled from all sides!
•
#zerowaste #earthfriendly #goingzerowaste #green2021 #greenliving #livingconsciously #lowimpactlifestyle #passonplastic #plasticfreeearth #positiveimpactmovement #reducewhatyouproduce #reduceyourfootprint #sustainableliving #sustainablelivingtips #womeninoceanscience #oceanawareness #oceanoptimism #oceanoptimist #sustainability #earthoptimism #seaspiracy #plasticpollution #breakfreefromplastic #plasticpollutionact #seaspiracynetflix

Thank you @pelacase for including me in your Women

Thank you @pelacase for including me in your Women’s Day campaign 💙 For those that aren’t familiar with Pela, they are the original compostable phone case company! Earlier this month they launched a collection of cases to celebrate Women’s Day, featuring artwork by @laurenrustart and @perlyblooms . So much talent went into these designs, and it’s so awesome to highlight these female artists. Here are some other great things Pela has done:
🌊 $394,000 donated to environmental groups through @1percentftp .
🌊 $20,000 donated to @medshareofficial to help Covid-19 efforts .
🌊 11,071 people in Kenya given access to clean water through @metowe .
🌊 21,358 ft of coastline preserved through @surfrider .
🌊 8.28 surf spots / ocean ecosystems protected through @savethewavescoalition .
🌊 $34,529 donated to @oceana to contribute to biodiversity conservation.
❌ no greenwashing! .

On a Friday afternoon, I hope a small reminder of all the good things sustainable companies like Pela are doing well set the tone for everyone to have a nice weekend! I’ll be spending a lot of time outside - what are you getting up to? .
•
#sponsored #believeinbetter #bethechange #leadtheway #pelafam #pelacase #compostable #compost #womensday #feministart #oceanconservation #oceana #savethewaves #earthfriendly #goingzerowaste #green2021 #liveeverydaylikeitsearthday #livingconsciously #passonplastic #plasticfreeearth #gooddeeds #plasticfreeforthesea #debrisfreesea #ecofriendly #sustainableliving #zerowaste #compostablephonecase #nomoregreenwashing

Did you know that a study published in Nature foun

Did you know that a study published in Nature found that microplastics can be generated through relatively mundane activities, like twisting open the cap on a bottle of water? In another study, microplastic contamination on the order of hundreds of particles was found in 93% of plastic bottles tested. While that study hasn’t yet been peer reviewed and is under scrutiny by water bottle companies like Nestle (shocking), even if the findings are a little inflated the fact remains that we have a serious microplastic issue in our waterways and food systems. Given our addiction to plastic as a global commodity, it’s no wonder we eat about a credit card worth of plastic on a weekly basis. If you’re new to reducing your plastic footprint, try avoiding single use items first. Get your own reusable bottle, say no to the plastic bag at the grocery store, and keep utensils handy so you don’t end up with plastic cutlery. Little things like that make a huge difference! Let me know in the comments where you are on your low waste journey, or what your favorite eco-friendly change has been 🌱.
•
#goingzerowaste #greenliving #liveeverydaylikeitsearthday #livingconsciously #lowimpactlifestyle #plasticfreeearth #positiveimpactmovement #reducewhatyouproduce #sustainablelivingtips #plastics #microplastics #ecofriendly #sustainability #plasticpollution #ecoblogger #plasticsandhealth #scienceliteracy #nanoplastics #plasticfree #microplastic #microplasticsmatter #plasticimpact #plasticandpeople #nature #waterbottles

As you guys know, I have spoken about my personal

If you’re a marine scientist or work on research

If you’re a marine scientist or work on research vessels, you probably know exactly what these are! But for anyone outside the field, I’ll explain. The atmospheric pressure at sea level is ~1atm. Beneath the surface of the water, pressure increases by ~1atm for every 10m deep. Just like subjecting an object to a high pressure above the surface, we can see the same effect just by utilizing the force of pressure at depth. So, here’s my mini science lesson: these used to be full sized styrofoam cups! Just for a little fun on cruises, scientists will decorate some cups, tie them up in a little bag, and hook them onto the CTD right before a deep cast. At depth, the air within the styrofoam is expelled due to the pressure, resulting in shrinking the cup. These cups were from two of my cruises with NOAA, and both were sunk to around 4000m below sea level! Thus, the cups were subjected to a pressure of ~400atm. I keep these two in my office, but I have a couple at home and I’ve made a lot of these as gifts for family and friends. Since there aren’t a lot of opportunities for souvenirs out in the middle of the ocean, this is one fun way to commemorate a cruise! And FYI, styrofoam is not recyclable in almost all municipalities, so if you end up getting stuck with a styrofoam cup somehow, save it until you run into a friendly marine scientist and have them shrink it for you 💙
•
#marinescience #oceanography #lifeatsea #marinebiology #oceanscience #oceanschool #womeninoceanscience #marinebiolife #science #oceanlifestyle #oceanplastic #styrofoam #styrofoamcup #shrunkencup #physicsfun #deepwater #underwaterexperiments #seasouvenir #plasticrecycling #shrunkencups #ctdcasts #4000mdeep

Did you know that the average (6kg) load of laundr

Did you know that the average (6kg) load of laundry releases an estimated 700,000 microfibers? These mix in with the wastewater out of our pipes, and eventually end up in our waterways and oceans. Since most of us own synthetic plastic clothing, including acrylic and polyester, these microfibers double as microplastics. Synthetic microfibers are the most common plastic pollutant in some areas, and can be mistakenly consumed by marine life, causing buildups in their gastric systems. For years I have been on the lookout for something to prevent my laundry routine from releasing microfibers into our water systems, and finally came across @planetcare.solutions ! This company produces are super easy to use filter that retains microfibers and prevents them from escaping the filter tube. Here are a few reasons I love this company:
🌊 First of all, Masa and Neza, the women behind the company, are so nice, knowledgeable, and passionate about ending microfiber pollution.
🌊 In independently conducted tests, the PlanetCare Filter caught 90% of microfibers, which is seriously an amazing result.
🌊 Their system is totally circular and this is the only company I’ve found to operate this way! Each filter lasts about 20 washes, and after finishing up with your set of filters, you return them to PlanetCare. They reuse 95% of the filter cartridge, and the remaining 5% is recycled.
🌊 It’s easy to set up, and can be attached to an existing washing machine. No plumber required, you can do this yourself in just a few minutes!
•
So excited to share PlanetCare with you all! This is one company making a huge difference and making it so easy for the rest of us to do our part too 💙 use ALANNAPLANET10 for a discount!

Load More... Follow on Instagram