NAUTILOS partners, participated in a research cruise to study the fate and transport of microplastics

On June 4th 2021, researchers from CNR-ISMAR, one of the NAUTILOS partners, participated in a research cruise to study the fate and transport of microplastics from Europe to the Arctic organized by the JPI-OCEANS project FACTS onboard the research vessel Heincke, a 55 meters long research vessel operated by the Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI). The scientific expedition concluded on July 8th when the RV Heincke reached the port of Bremerhaven after collecting hundreds of samples from different environmental compartments. The samples will now be analysed by the scientists involved, providing novel insights on the sources, transport, occurrence, and fate of small microplastics in northern European waters.