REPORT:
NOAA Nurdles/Pre-Production Plastic Pellet Spills in Coastal and Marine Environments - a workshop report (released July 2024)
This in-person workshop is sponsored by NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R) and the Disaster Preparedness Program, and hosted by the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Research Center. We will explore what is known and uncertain about nurdles and what occurs when they are spilled into marine and coastal environments.
Dates: September 6 & 7 (Wednesday and Thursday) from 8:30 - 4:30 each day
Workshop Objectives
- Understand what nurdles are and how, where, and in what form they are shipped;
- Understand the fate and transport of spilled nurdles in ocean and coastal environments;
- Identify the threats that a major nurdle spill poses to the marine environment and coastal communities;
- Evaluate nurdles’ case studies for challenges and lessons learned;
- Explore response options for major nurdle events; and
- Discuss next steps.
Location
NOAA Center for Weather & Climate Prediction (NCWCP)
5830 University Research Court
College Park, MD 20740
Agenda
Participants
Presentations
- Opening - Nancy Kinner, CRRC
- Background & Workshop Goals - Charlie Henry, NOAA OR&R DPP DRC
- The NOAA Marine Debris Program's Response Authorities, Activities, and Capabilities - Nancy Wallace, NOAA OR&R Marine Debris Division
- Mapping the Global Plastic Pellet Supply Chain - Jon Burton, Oracle Environmental Experts, Ltd
- Case Studies of Nurdle Spills - Lessons Learned
- X-Press Pearl in Sri Lanka, Samuel Durrance, ITOPF
- South Africa, Samuel Durrance, ITOPF
- North Sea Trans Carrier - Rune Bergstrom, Norwegian Coastal Administration
- Mississippi River Nurdles Spill - Brandi Todd, NOAA OR&R SSC
- Behavior of Nurdles in Marine and Coastal Environments - Deborah French McCay, RPS Group
- Risks/Threats Resulting from Nurdles Spills:
- Potential Impacts of Pellet Spills - Anthony Andrady, North Carolina State University
- Plastic Pellet Spills Risks & Threats - Jace Tunnell, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
- Responding to a Nurdles Spill:
- Activities, contribution to international activities & lessons learned from a French case study - Camille Lacroix, CEDRE
- Existing U.S. Authorities - Chauncey Kelly, NOAA GCNR
- Shoreline Monitoring - Jace Tunnell, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
- Remote Sensing & Detection - Madeline Cowell, Ball Aerospace & RMSLD and Lauren Biermann, University of Plymouth (UK)
- Response Technologies & Waste Management - Audrey Moore, OSRL
- Inland/River Response & Waste Management - Jon Burton, Oracle Environmental Experts
- Assessing & Restoring Impacts - Rune Bergstrom, Norwegian Coastal Administration
- Overview of the Workshop Scenarios - Charlie Henry
Additional Resources
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How Micro- And Nanoplastics Are Infiltrating Arctic Ice, Science 3/25/2024
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Microplastics in the Arctic | Line One, Alaska Public Radio, 9/4/2024
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Nurdles: Europe's worst unknown plastic pollution crisis, EUObserver, 1/4/2024
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Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds, Phys.Org, 9/30/2023
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Tiny, Plastic "Nurdles" Are Contaminating Our Shores. Here's How You Can Help (by Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanic Pro, May 19, 2023)
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Mapping the Global Plastic Pellet Supply Chain, by Oracle Environmental Experts (Sam Perkins, Joshua Doran, Jon Burton)
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Emerging investigator series: microplastic sources, fate, toxicity, detection, and interactions with micropollutants in aquatic ecosystems – a review of reviews, by Mohamed Ateia, Gamze Ersan, Mohamed Gar Alalm, Daria Camilla Boffitoc, Tanju Karanfil, Environ Sci Process Impacts. ; 24(2): 172–195. doi:10.1039/d1em00443c.
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IMO Guidelines on best practice relating to clean-up of plastic pellets from ship-source spills, submitted by Norway, South Africa, ITOPF and P & I Clubs at IMO PPR10 (document PPR10/INF.13). [This document has been written and collated by several organisations following a proposal submitted by the Norwegian Coastal Authority (NCA) to the ninth session of the International Maritime Organisation’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 9) in 2022. It is currently under review by the IMO Correspondence Group on Pollution Response which is due to provide a consolidated version for PPR 11 in 2024.]
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Marine plastic pollution - are nurdles a special case for regulation?, by Kim Jefferies and Thomas Maes, published by GARD Insight, 2022
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Marine carriage of nurdles will be regulated – the question is how and when, by Kim Jefferies, published by GARD Insight, 2023
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" Effective approaches for surveillance and modelling of macro and microplastic to aid response efforts, prediction of plastic movements and source identification." from the UK and Ireland Plastic Pollution working group webinar series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m9cfJIe64Y
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An Environmental Nightmare: Why Is Nothing Being Done to Prevent Plastic Pellet Pollution? By Tanya Cox, Marine Plastics, Fauna & Flora, 2023
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Ship recycling market outlook up to 2030, Lloyd's List, May 22, 2023
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State of Knowledge on Pollution by Plastic Pellets, CEDRE (France), March 2023
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Key Information on Plastic Pellets, CEDRE (France)
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2021 Inventory of aspects related to cleaning up microplastics after maritime incidents, by Edwin Foekema, Susan Kuhn, Kelly Eischot, Marinka van Puijenbroek of Wageningen University & Research, 2021
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Measuring plastic pellet (nurdle) abundance on shorelines throughout the Gulf of Mexico using citizen scientists: Establishing a platform for policy-relevant research, by Jace Tunnell et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol 151, February 2020, 110794
Steering Committee
- Nancy Kinner, Coastal Response Research Center, University of New Hampshire
- Charlie Henry, NOAA OR&R Gulf of Mexico Disaster Response Center
- Lisa DiPinto, NOAA OR&R
- Ruth Yender, NOAA OR&R SSC
- Jason Rolfe, NOAA OR&R, Marine Debris Program
- Dana Tulis, USCG MER
- Jessica Conway, NOAA OR&R Marine Debris Program
- Emily Setser, NOAA OR&R