Multimedia Gallery
October 26, 2020
Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.
Videos credited to the National Science Foundation, an agency of the U.S. Government, may be distributed freely. However, some materials within the videos may be copyrighted. If you would like to use portions of NSF-produced programs in another product, please contact the Video Team in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs at the National Science Foundation.
Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.
How do microplastics in the ocean accumulate?
Oceanographer Dr. Kara Lavender Law shows how small bits of plastic, called microplastics, accumulate across the Atlantic Ocean and tells us why scientists must understand how it gets there in the first place. Plastics, also called polymers, have enabled revolutionary changes to society, from enhancing safe medical care, to food storage, to everyday conveniences from your toothbrush to your TV. But the properties that make plastic advantageous, namely that it is cheap and sturdy, also pose challenges for how to dispose or repurpose plastics to keep them from entering the environment.
Credit: National Science Foundation
Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.
Videos credited to the National Science Foundation, an agency of the U.S. Government, may be distributed freely. However, some materials within the videos may be copyrighted. If you would like to use portions of NSF-produced programs in another product, please contact the Video Team in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs at the National Science Foundation.
Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.