Highly magnified close-up of microscopic plastic particle and text Microplastic particle concentration ranged between 0.3-25 microplastic particles per gramme of moss

Close-up of Hypnum cupressiforme moss and text: Urban proximity doesn't fully explain this variation in microplastic concentrations - more to learn!

The survey found concentration of microplastic particles ranged between 0.3-25 microplastic particles per gm of moss. Proximity to urban areas did not fully explain this variation, so still more to learn!

Open access paper in Microplastics and Nanoplastics: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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P schreberi moss and text: Monitoring moss reveals widespread deposition of airborne microplastics across the UK

Close-up of Glittering woodmoss and text 52 rural sites across the UK were surveyed for microplastics

Particles in moss fronds captured under powerful microscope, plus text 94% of these sites contained microplastics above our limits of detection

The first national-scale study of its kind, led by UKCEH, has found detectable microplastics in moss at 94% of UK rural sites surveyed.

Lead author @richardkcross.bsky.social discusses the findings & importance of such surveys as production/use of plastics increases.

🔗 tinyurl.com/yc2acct4

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Forensic approaches to microplastic detection will improve confidence in results Dr Richard Cross of the Environmental Pollution group at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology tells us about a proposed approach to communicate levels of certainty in findings about microplastics in ...

Forensic approaches to microplastic detection in bodies of humans and animals will boost confidence in results, says UKCEH pollution scientist @richardkcross.bsky.social.

He was part of a team proposing a new approach after scrutiny of some high-profile studies.
www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-med...

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#upstreamforrivers #eumission #opencall #plasticfreerivers #cleanwater #circulareconomy #horizoneurope #missionocean | Upstream Horizon 🌊 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐔𝐏𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 1 𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍! Are you a local or regional authority looking to implement advanced systems for collecting and valorising river waste? Today, we officially lau...

Open call for authorities interested in technologies to collect and valorise #plasticwaste #microplastics in rivers💦. Check eligibility in this post ⬇️. Not open to regions involved in the project, inc. UK but you can follow our progress @upstream-project.bsky.social

www.linkedin.com/posts/upstre...

Hi Martha, I don't seem to be able to DM you? I'll send you an email next week to follow up

Another #PhD opportunity co-supervised by myself here @ukceh.bsky.social in the team, where we'll be working on quantifying road-derived #microplastics details on how to apply below 👇
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Hi Martha, perhaps you can send me a few more details. Not all of the sites to be investigated are fixed yet so its great to know about other locations which might be relevant.

Here @ukceh.bsky.social, we are inviting PhD applicants for the new ECOWILD CDT Project findaphd.com/phds/project...
Take a look if you are interested in #wetlands restoration, #microplastics #antimicrobialresistance and #climatechange

Left to right: Richard Cross, Sam Harrison, Heidrun Feuchtmayr, M. Glória Pereira observing the negotiations

Observers listening to plastics treaty negotiations

🌍 A UKCEH team were observers at the latest UN talks on a global treaty to end plastic pollution.

Negotiations ended without consensus after 2 intense weeks, but there are glimmers of hope

🔗 tinyurl.com/mrxmfm87

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@samharrison.science @richardkcross.bsky.social @feuchtmayr.bsky.social #INC5

Bank note pulled from the river drying in the sun.

Not your typical #litter floating past in the Rhone this morning here in Geneva! Sadly not Swiss Francs I'm afraid 😂 A moments break this morning before starting on what should be the last day of the #GlobalPlasticsTreaty negatiations

#Live now!

As the #PlasticsTreaty #INC5.2 negotiations nears its end, delegates and observers gather in plenary in the Assembly Hall at Palais des Nations.

Follow the plenary on UN TV 📺 webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1r...

How are things at the #GlobalPlasticsTreaty #INC5.2 #PlasticsTreaty? My colleage @samharrison.science @ukceh.bsky.social nicely sums up some of the key moments over the last week 👇

Some reflections on the first few days of #INC5.2 negotations in Geneva, towards a #GlobalPlasticsTreaty.

Are the negotiations going well? Frankly, not really, though there are reasons for hope 👇

@ukceh.bsky.social
#PlasticsTreaty #PlasticTreaty #GlobalPlasticTreaty

I'm on my way to Geneva for #INC5.2 - the final session for nations to negotiate a #GlobalPlasticsTreaty

As the negotiations near their final stage, it is now more than ever crucial that decisions are grouded in science. The @ukceh.bsky.social delegation is going with five key messages 👇

Also heard the point today that science needs to be communicated clearly. So I'll correct FAIR to: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reproducible. In my defense, the Character Limit Encourages Acronyms Regularly. CLEAR for short 🤣

Advancing science to end plastic pollution A UKCEH delegation is attending the final session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Global Plastics Treaty from 5-14 August in Geneva, Switzerland.

To find out more about what @ukceh.bsky.social are up to at #INC5 #GlobalPlasticsTreaty see our latest blog below👇 I'm particularly interested in how existing #plasticpollution is considered and what happens next around implementation and effectiveness #microplastics

www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-med...

You're right, making data findable (and the whole of FAIR really) is so important. Not easy. Interested in people's thoughts on how we can do this for #microplastics huge data files are generated but harmonized repositories or data reporting standards are not quite there yet? #PlasticsTreaty #INC5

I also thought the panelists put it well, saying "science allows us to understand effects, cooperation enables us to act on this" reminding us how we have to be joined up in our thinking and how collaboration is key to success #GlobalPlasticsTreaty

Panel discussion on "science and research for an effective instrument": strong support for science-based decisions free of conflicts of interest, and a need for transparency in not just Treaty processes, but the data needed to support it.

#INC5.2 #PlasticsTreaty
@bcarneyalmroth.bsky.social

What is the global #PlasticsTreaty and why does it matter?

Here’s what to know before the second part of #INC5 begins in Geneva on August 5: www.unep.org/inc-plastic-...

Details and pictures of the four UKCEH scientists attending the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations under the heading Meet the UKCEH team at INC5.2

🌍 Advancing science to end plastic pollution:
UKCEH scientists are at the final Global Plastics Treaty talks this week as official Observers—ensuring negotiations are shaped by scientific evidence and expertise.

#PlasticsTreaty #INC5

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Meet our delegation: Dr @samharrison.science, Dr @richardkcross.bsky.social, Dr Heidrun Feuchtmayr @feuchtmayr.bsky.social & Dr Gloria Pereira.

We’re there to share key evidence, highlight overlooked pathways & offer technical advice to participants.

🔗 Read more: www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-med...

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More from the SAbyNA project I forgot to mention and my colleagues @ukceh.bsky.social Sarah Roberts paper on soil species sensitivities distributions for silver #nanomaterials #ecotoxicology loads of data in here :) pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

"As the wheels trundle over the bitumen" there must have been something in the air that day, bringing out my inner poet!

New paper summarising the
@SAbyNA2020
guidance tool for safe and #sustainable by design #nanomaterials Great work from the whole team involved over the past few years on that project! pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

"As the wheels trundle over the bitumen" there must have been something in the air that day, bringing out my inner poet!

Seemed like an interesting peer review process and quite different from the usual

FRAGMENT-MNP: A model of micro- and nanoplastic fragmentation in the environment Harrison et al., (2025). FRAGMENT-MNP: A model of micro- and nanoplastic fragmentation in the environment. Journal of Open Source Software, 10(110), 8061, https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.08061

🚨 Our plastic fragmentation model FRAGMENT-MNP is now published in @joss-openjournals.bsky.social! This was my first time publishing in JOSS and I found it very refreshing. joss.theoj.org/papers/10.21...

@praetorius-a.bsky.social @richardkcross.bsky.social
@ukceh.bsky.social @cefic.bsky.social

Such an interesting session this morning on the impacts of atmospheric pollutants on #wildlife and #biodiversity #SETACVienna For those who saw our work on using #moss as a bio-monitor for #microplastics @ukceh.bsky.social here's our report to Defra
sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetai...

Was great to see you! Enjoy your field work, sounds amazing :)