Teens Investigate a Microplastics Time Machine

Join high school students working to study environmental change in aquatic ecosystems. Using the Museum’s collections, three young scientists are investigating historical levels of microplastics in New York fish by examining freshwater fish specimens dating from today back to the 1950s. They aim to pinpoint the emergence of plastic pollution in New York waterways and track changes in microplastic concentrations through the years.

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Freshwater fish are important indicators of ecosystem health. While the ultimate consequences for human health are still being studied, this research by students in the Museum’s Science Research Mentorship Program (SRMP) provides essential data on the growing presence of microplastics in our environment and highlights the urgency of understanding and addressing this widespread form of pollution. The students’ work in quantifying these tiny pollutants could illuminate patterns of microplastic accumulation within the food web.

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