Mare Plasticum - The Plastic Sea

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. The Exhibition MARE PLASTICUM: Art and Science for the Environment

   • Margarita Cimadevila, Wolfgang Trettnak

   Pages 1-30

3. A Brief History of Plastics

   • Roland Geyer

   Pages 31-47

4. Plastics and Microplastics: Impacts in the Marine Environment

   • Madeleine Steer, Richard C. Thompson

   Pages 49-72

5. The (Un)Natural History of the “Plastisphere,” A New Marine Ecosystem

   • Erik R. Zettler, Linda A. Amaral-Zettler

   Pages 73-88

6. Polarquest 2018 Expedition: Plastic Debris at 82°07’ North

   • Stefano Aliani, Gianluca Casagrande, Paola Catapano, Valeria Catapano

   Pages 89-116

7. The Impact of Marine Litter in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean Sea: How Can We Protect MPAs?

   • Maria Cristina Fossi, Cristina Panti

   Pages 117-128

8. Plastic in China: A Short History of a Crisis

   • Isabel Hilton

   Pages 129-139

9. “Down by the River”: (Micro-) Plastic Pollution of Running Freshwaters with Special Emphasis on the Austrian Danube

   • Aaron Lechner

   Pages 141-185

10. Small Plastic Wastes in Soils: What Is Our Real Perception of the Problem?

    • Andrés Rodríguez-Seijo, Ruth Pereira

    Pages 187-209

11. Europe’s Move Towards Plastic-Free Ocean

    • Māris Stuļģis

    Pages 211-220

12. Plastic Pollution in the Oceans: A Systemic Analysis—Status Quo and Possible Sustainable Solutions

    • Gianlauro Casoli, Shyaam Ramkumar

    Pages 221-243

13. Toys for the Winter

    • Eugenio Triana Mataix

    Pages 245-248

14. “The Bottlenose Dolphin” (An Eco-comic)

    • Wolfgang Trettnak

    Pages 249-252

This book, written by a multidisciplinary team of authors comprising scientists, artists and communicators, explores one of the most pressing issues of our time – the menace plastics pose to marine environments and organisms. It takes readers on a journey that begins on the beaches of Galicia, where the beach litter formed the starting point for an exhibition that combines art and science to alert the audience to the urgent need for action. The journey culminates with a short “plastic story”, which reveals a disturbing vision of the future significance of plastics for humans, and an example of how comics can deliver information to a younger audience. Along the way there is plenty of fascinating science, such as insights into the impacts of plastics and microplastics; the new marine ecosystem, known as the “plastisphere”; and the current status of the oceans, from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. The book also explores the historical developments; sustainable solutions, including the use of circular economy methodologies; and protective measures, like those being tried in China and the Far East. Lastly, it describes the role played by rivers as transport vectors for plastic, with special reference to the Danube, and to complete the picture, since most of the plastic is of terrestrial origin, it investigates problems related to microplastics in soils.

 

• marine plastic litter
• plastic pollution
• microplastic in marine ecosystem
• sustainable solutions to plastic pollution
• plastic contamination
• microplastics in the North Atlantic
• marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea
• plastic pollution in China and Far East
• marine plastic debris
• plastic pollution in art and science
• public awareness of plastic pollution
• eco art and plastic litter
• plastic waste
• microplastics in soils
• plastic ingestion
• plastic entanglement
• economic impacts of plastic
• history of plastics

“In my opinion, this is an important book. … The combination of text, illustrations, and references makes it a well-developed scientific book. … I believe that this thoughtful and inspiring book cannot only attract scientists, policymakers, and environmental managers but also representatives of the plastic manufacturing and recycling industry. … it can serve as a textbook for faculty and students interested in studying environmental issues … . I highly recommend this book to the reader.” (Christian T. K.-H. Stadtländer, Environmental Processes, Vol. 9, 2022)

• ARSCIENCIA and CERN Honorary Staff Member, Wien, Austria

  Marilena Streit-Bianchi

• ARSCIENCIA, Sada, A Coruña, Spain

  Margarita Cimadevila

• ARSCIENCIA, Werndorf, Austria

  Wolfgang Trettnak

Marilena Streit-Bianchi was born in Rome (Italy). She received a doctorate in Biological Sciences from the University of Rome and joined CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Geneva (Switzerland), in 1969.  She has been a pioneer in the study of high-energy particles produced by accelerators for cancer treatment. She has held managerial positions in the area of safety training and technology transfer and is currently a senior honorary staff member at CERN, actively engaged in art and science as a book editor and curator of exhibitions in Europe and Mozambique.

Margarita Cimadevila The artist who was born in Sada (A Coruña, Spain), graduated in Chemistry. She then worked as a secondary school science teacher for the Government of Galicia for thirty years, nine of them as director. Her artistic work combines science and art on topics such as the particle physics at CERN, women in science, gender equality and eco art. She is president of the organization ARSCIENCIA and a member of AMIT (Spanish Association of Women Researchers and Technologists). Her work has been exhibited in Europe, America and China.

Wolfgang Trettnak was born in Graz (Austria) and received a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Graz. He undertook applied research on sensors and biosensors for several years and published a number of scientific articles. In 2002 he became a freelance artist, and his work, which comprises painting, object art, and installations, has been exhibited in Europe, America, and China. His work links science with art on subjects such as bionics, electronics, luminescence and environmental topics.

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