The Invisible Threat: How Microplastics Endanger Corals

Abstract

Coral reefs are one of the most endangered habitats due to climate change, but not enough attention has been paid to how plastic pollution affects coral reef health. Plastics are massively produced worldwide for many purposes and they degrade very slowly, breaking down into tiny, invisible particles of 5 mm or less, called microplastics. When these tiny particles reach coral reefs, they harm corals by constantly rubbing on them through the action of waves and currents. Corals may also ingest microplastics and get a false sense of “fullness,” which results in the coral not feeding on nutritious food. Within the coral, microplastics may block the gut and cause internal damage. Also, microplastics, which are already made of chemicals, can pick up pollutants and harmful microorganisms from the seawater and transfer them to the coral. A reduction of microplastics pollution is therefore urgent.

Cosplay as a Novel Method for Outreach in Ocean Science

“…In venues like aquaria and museums, a free-choice learning environment (Falk & Diering, 2002, 2012 is present, where self-directed exploration and learning takes place within the confines of the architecture and displays (many interactive) of these venues. Techniques for informal science education range from hands-on activities, e.g., directed activities using advanced technology such as underwater robots (Patterson, Niebuhr & Elliott 2012), serious games on issues such as climate change (Undorf et al, 2020), citizen science data collections like BioBlitz (Agersnap et al, 2022), and pop-culture themed talks (Burks, Deards & DeFrain 2017), to online materials developed specifically for a target audience, e.g., children (Bednarz et al, 2021). Cosplay is a technique that has not been explored well in marine science education and outreach.…”