Up to 14,000 tons of plastic end up in Swiss soil and water every year. Initial studies carried out in Swiss lakes and rivers showed that microplastics were found in each of the examined water and sediment samples.

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More recent studies have even shown the presence of microplastics in snowfall in Swiss mountain regions, which would be an indicator of atmospheric transport and subsequent microplastic deposition.

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​The aim of this study is to provide the first detailed evidence of microplastics (> 0.1mm) in the waters of the Upper Engadine at 1820 meters above sea level.

In general, studies on microplastic measurements are carried out as time-limited measurements (snapshots). 

​Therefore, for our study, samples are taken weekly at the same locations for a period of two months in order to obtain the most accurate picture possible with regard to the occurrence, quantity, size and type of the microplastic.

This planned project will be the first Alpine study of its kind, serving to track the changes in microplastic presence in Alpine waters over a period of time.

AZORES​

Leg 1: 14.-20.August

Leg 2: 21.-27.August

sicily

Leg 1: 11.-17.SEPTEMBER

Leg 2: 18.-24.SEPTEMBER

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. North of Sicily lie the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea named after the demigod of the winds Aeolus.

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This expedition is a collaboration with the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn. We will collect surface water microplastic samples around the Aeolien islands for the very first time and combine the data with fish ingested microplastic data collected by the marine researchers from Anton Dohrn to see the connection between the microplastic floating and the impact it has on the ecosystem.