Nikita Pring

Nikita completed her honours at the University of Adelaide in 2018 which focused on microplastics in marine sediment. Nikita then spent a year at the CSIRO in a volunteer fellowship position where her enthusiasm for marine microplastic research grew. She is currently doing her PhD in the field of oceanic plastic. 

Marine debris are a problem in our coastal habitats and plastics are a major part of this pollution. Plastics vary in size from macro to micro which can affect plants and animals in a multitude of ways. Mangroves and seagrass habitats trap plastics through their branches, leaves and sediment. Due to these trapping mechanisms, it is expected that mangroves and seagrass will have more plastics compared to a habitat with no vegetation. The sediment in our coastal habitats vary in size, type and characteristics; some are so fine they’re soft to walk on, and some are rocky. Does this have an impact on the accumulation of microplastic in certain coastal habitats?