March Ames Seminar: Microplastics and Associated Pathogens and Pollutants in NYC Waterways

Hudson River Foundation’s Edward A. Ames Seminar by Beizhan Yan, PhD., Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University

Microplastics have been found in nearly every ecosystem on earth from the snows of Mount Everest to the deep sea sediment of Monterey Canyon. In this presentation Columbia professor Dr. Beizhan Yan will present his research on microplastics in our local watershed. Dr. Yan will discuss where in the lower Hudson River and Estuary microplastics gather; what other pollutants such as PCBs are associated with microplastics; and how these pollutants travel through our waterways. Finally, he’ll discuss policy implications including whether a local ban on microplastics would be useful for curtailing the impact of these compounds on the ecosystem.

Dr. Yan is an adjunct associate professor at Columbia School of International and Public Affairs and a Lamont Associate Research Professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO). At LDEO, he has established an Environmental Organic Geochemistry Lab with the ability to extract, isolate, and identify organic contaminants and biomarkers from environmental and biological samples. He had successfully traced spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. In May 2022, he formed the Plastic Pollution Analysis & Sustainability Solutions (PPASS) working group, which gathered about 40 researchers mainly from Columbia University, aiming to advance science and develop innovative tools and technologies that provide sustainable management of plastic waste for all humanity.