Over 2/3 of marine plastic waste originates from mega-rivers. The Mekong is one of the most polluted in the world, transporting an estimated 40 thousand tonnes of plastic into the world’s oceans. By 2050 the regional population will grow by >110 million people, increasing waste in the coral triangle, the most biodiverse marine area on our planet, situated near the Mekong’s mouth. Understanding how plastic flows along the Mekong into the ocean is key to reducing its impact.

This project is funded by National Geographic and applies a coupled physical and social approach to understand plastic waste transport through the Mekong. Across the course of the project we, along with our in country partners, will undertake physical sampling of microplastic concentration throughout the Mekong basin in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. In doing so we will identify population and development gradients in microplastic concentration. By sampling through the water column we will also be able to show how different types of plastic are transported at different depth, ultimately controlling their interaction with fish and other freshwater and marine species.

By working with local partners and directly communication with local communities we will raise awareness of plastic pollution across the Mekong basin. We will target policy interventions to reduce reliance on plastic and explore traditional alternatives to plastic.

Our sampling and development of new hydrodynamic relationships between plastics concentration, type and density will enable greater appreciation of the transport mechanisms by which plastic enters the global ocean. This will help us better predict where, when and how microplastics are distributed through the ocean and how they interact with biology.