Plastic Pollution Action Team
The Plastic Pollution Action Team seeks to reduce the environmental presence and impact of plastic pollution, and oversees research to determine the effects of microplastics on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Meetings
No upcoming meetings.
Plastic Pollution Action Team Fall Meeting
Plastic Pollution Action Team Meeting - March 2024
Plastic Pollution Action Team Fall Meeting
About
The Plastic Pollution Action Team (PPAT) seeks to reduce the presence and impacts of plastic pollution on the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. The PPAT will begin to address this issue by overseeing research to determine the effects that microplastics have on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. This will be accomplished by the following actions:
- Providing oversight to the development of preliminary ecological risk assessments (ERAs) of microplastics for one or more subwatersheds to the Chesapeake Bay;
- Using the results of the preliminary ERAs to develop a strategy that identifies and prioritizes gaps in information concerning the effects of microplastics pollution on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, highlighting future research questions that need to be answered;
- Present results from ERAs to the Management Board in order to guide future action on addressing plastic pollution; and
- Monitoring policy advances at the state and federal level that could potentially impact, advance or complement this work to inform the science strategy and to identify potential policy or management options that could be utilized for source reduction strategies.
Publications
Microplastic Source Tracking: Preliminary Investigation Data Report Potomac River, Maryland
Publication date:This project investigated the likely sources for microplastics related to land use
Framework for Monitoring Plastic Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay
Publication date:This report includes recommendations for plastic pollution monitoring strategies throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.
View document [PDF, 6.6 MB] Framework for Monitoring Plastic Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay
Updated (2022) Conceptual Model for an Ecological Risk Assessment for Microplastics on Striped Bass in the Potomac River Estuary
Publication date:This preliminary conceptual ecological risk assessment model was designed to identify pathways, sources, effects and unknowns related to microplastics in the tidal portion of the Potomac River.
Potential Linkages Between Microplastics and 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement Outcomes
Publication date:This report presents the impacts microplastic pollution could have on efforts to achieve the goals and outcomes of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
Microplastic Monitoring & Science Strategy for the Chesapeake Bay
Publication date:This strategy presents a starting point to address microplastics across the Chesapeake Bay by engaging in research, monitoring and policy development.
View document [PDF, 3.9 MB] Microplastic Monitoring & Science Strategy for the Chesapeake Bay
Our Members
- Matt Gallagher (Chair)
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment matthew.gallagher@dc.gov - Kelly Somers (Vice Chair)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Somers.Kelly@epa.gov - Doug Austin
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) austin.douglas@epa.gov - Jonathan Cohen
University of Delaware jhcohen@udel.edu - Shawn Fisher
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scfisher@usgs.gov - Robert Hale
Virginia Institute of Marine Science hale@vims.edu - Kirk Havens
Virginia Institute of Marine Science kirk@vims.edu - Carlie Herring
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) carlie.herring@noaa.gov - Bill Jenkins
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jenkins.bill@epa.gov - Brooke Landry
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Brooke.Landry@maryland.gov - Julie Lawson
lawson.julie@gmail.com - Katie Morgan
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) katie.morgan@noaa.gov - Donna Morrow
Maryland Department of Natural Resources donna.morrow@maryland.gov - Bob Murphy
Tetra Tech Bob.Murphy@tetratech.com - Tish Robertson
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality tlrobertson@deq.virginia.gov - Matt Robinson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) robinson.matthew@epa.gov - Peter Tango
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ptango@chesapeakebay.net - Mark Trice
Maryland Department of Natural Resources mtrice@dnr.state.md.us - Phong Trieu
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments ptrieu@mwcog.org - Rebecca Whiteash
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection rwhiteash@pa.gov - Ryan Woodland
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science woodland@umces.edu - Adrienne Kotula
Chesapeake Bay Commission akotula@chesbay.us - Amy Uhrin
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) amy.uhrin@noaa.gov - Ann Jacob Woodesen
Virginia Institute of Marine Science awoodson@vims.edu - Anna Kasko
Maryland Department of the Environment anna.kasko@maryland.gov - Barbara Balestra
American University balestra@american.edu - Bongkeun Song
Virginia Institute of Marine Science songb@vims.edu - Christine Knauss
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science cknauss@umces.edu - Dann Sklarew
George Mason University dannsklarew@gmail.com - Denice Wardrop
Chesapeake Research Consortium CRC-Director@Chesapeake.org - Emily Majcher
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) emajcher@usgs.gov - Fredrika Moser
Maryland Sea Grant moser@mdsg.umd.edu - Paige Hobaugh
Tetra Tech Paige.Hobaugh@tetratech.com - Jamie Pierson
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science jpierson@umces.edu - Jeff Bednar
Pennsylvania Department of Waste Management jbednar@pa.gov - Jeffrey Seltzer
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment jeffrey.seltzer@dc.gov - Jennifer Flippin
Tetra Tech jennifer.flippin@tetratech.com - Laura Cattell Noll
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay lnoll@allianceforthebay.org - Jesse Meiller
Georgetown University jesse.meiller@georgetown.edu - John Kuriawa
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) John.Kuriawa@noaa.gov - Julia Wakeling
District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment julia.wakeling@dc.gov - Kristen Wolf
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection kwolf@pa.gov - Kristin Saunders
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ksaunders@umces.edu - Larry Holley
Pennsylvania Department of Waste Management lholley@pa.gov - Larry Sandford
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science lsanford@umces.edu - Maddison Griffin
Virginia Institute of Marine Science mdgriffin@vims.edu - Marc Moran
Pennsylvania Department of Waste Management marcmoran@pa.gov - Martin Gary
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Martin.Gary@dec.ny.gov - Meredith Seeley
Virginia Institute of Marine Science meseeley@vims.edu - Michael Lookenbill
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection mlookenbil@pa.gov - Mike Selkmann
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin gmselckmann@icprb.org - Nicole Trenholm
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ntrenholm@umces.edu - Renee Thompson
Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin rthompson@icprb.org - Ronald Owens
Potomac River Fisheries Commission ron.prfc@gmail.com - Sushanth Gupta
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments sgupta@mwcog.org - William Nardin
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science wnardin@umces.edu