Rene (UR) Mmm, smells like dinner.

          Since this is my first blog post I think it would be a good idea to start off by telling everyone what my IRP is going to be on. The affects of microplastics on our coastal seabirds. I have always been interested in the growing concern of plastic that is arising in our oceans on a daily basis. Not many people are educated or even care to know about the affects that plastics, especially micro-plastics, have on our marine enviornment.

What is known:
          Many of us think that birds just aren't very smart and eat plastic because they mistake it for food, which is partly true. But when the plastic has been sitting out in the sun for a week or so, maybe even just a few days, it starts to gather bacteria, algae starts to collect, and begins to let off an odor known as Dimethyl Sulfide. It just so happens that plankton eats algae and actually lets off the same odor which is a dinner call for birds. So the outcome is that the plastic literally smells like dinner!
          We also know that albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters are the seabirds that are most affected by the plastic in our oceans. These are burrow-nesting birds and they rely heavily on their sense of smell which is why these are the birds we need to focus on when it comes to plastic consumption.