TITLE: Plastic pollution in the Red Sea: A comprehensive analysis from the air to the seafloor.
PRESENTER: Anastasiia Martynova
ADVISOR: Professor Carlos M. Duarte
DATE: Sunday, November 23, 2025
TIME: 14:00 - 15:00
The defense will take place in B2/L5/R5209 (seaside) at 14:00 on Sunday, November 23.
LOCATION: B2/L5/R5209 or Zoom (see link below)
Abstract: Since mass plastic production began, plastic pollution has become omnipresent across environmental compartments, yet its full scale and consequences are only now coming into focus. Estimating plastic loads and revealing major sources are essential for effective interventions and legally binding measures to reduce plastic pollution. Recent findings show that the water column can store substantial quantities of microplastics, potentially creating a bias in global plastic estimations based only on concentrations in surface waters. The first assessment of integrated water-column microplastic stocks in the eastern Red Sea highlighted the capacity of subsurface layers to act as a reservoir rather than merely a transitional zone between surface waters and the seafloor. Maritime traffic emerged as one of the major pollution sources, particularly along the central axis, whereas long-range atmospheric inputs were found to be minimal. This thesis shows a significant influence of maritime traffic on regional plastic pollution and reveals substantial presence of suspended microplastics and paint flakes in sediments and pelagic waters, highlighting the unique conditions of the basin and providing a comprehensive evidence base for legislation.
Bio: Anastasiia Martynova is a PhD candidate in Professor Carlos Duarte's lab, where she studies plastic pollution from micro to macro across various environmental compartments.
Zoom link: https://kaust.zoom.us/j/