Amy Lusher

Norwegian Institute for Water Research | NIVA · Environmental Contaminants

Plastic, as a form of marine litter, is found in varying quantities and sizes around the globe from surface waters to deep-sea sediments. Identifying patterns of microplastic distribution will benefit an understanding of the scale of their potential effect on the environment and organisms. As sea ice extent is reducing in the Arctic, heightened shi...

Microplastics are an emerging marine pollutant. It is important to understand their distribution in the marine environment and their implications on marine habitats and marine biota. Microplastics have been found in almost every marine habitat around the world, with plastic composition and environmental conditions significantly affecting their dist...

Reference materials (RMs) are vital tools in the validation of methods used to detect environmental pollutants. Microplastics, a relatively new environmental pollutant, require a variety of complex approaches to address their presence in environmental samples. Both interlaboratory comparison (ILC) studies and RMs are essential to support the valida...

Plastic pollution in oceans and rivers is of growing concern. Aquatic ecosystems play an important role in transport and storage of plastic waste from land-based storage to riverine and marine environments. This focus issue brings together new insights on the sources, transport dynamics, fate, and impact of plastic pollution through aquatic environ...

Marine litter is a complex issue that is rooted in our patterns of production and consumption and how we deal with waste. The present ETC report aimed at assessing marine litter from source to sea, emphasizing the causalities between socio-economic drivers, pressures, and the state of pollution in Europe’s coastal and marine environments. This comp...

Microplastics (MP) are perceived as a threat to aquatic ecosystems but bear many similarities to suspended sediments which are often considered less harmful. It is, therefore pertinent to determine if and to what extent MPs are different from other particles occurring in aquatic ecosystems in terms of their adverse effects. We applied meta-regressi...

Ongoing efforts focus on quantifying plastic pollution and describing and estimating the related magnitude of exposure and impacts on human and environmental health. Data gathered during such work usually follows a receptor perspective. However, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) represents an emitter perspective. This study examines existing data gatheri...

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman microspectroscopy are methods applied in microplastics research to determine the chemical identity of microplastics. These techniques enable quantification of microplastic particles across various matrices. Previous work has highlighted the benefits and limitations of each method and found these to be com...

Microscopy is often the first step in microplastic analysis and is generally followed by spectroscopy to confirm material type. The value of microscopy lies in its ability to provide count, size, color, and morphological information to inform toxicity and source apportionment. To assess the accuracy and precision of microscopy, we conducted a metho...

In this review, we investigated published data on the occurrence of microplastic in Arctic fish, and the suitability of the data and species for risk assessment and monitoring. As of 11.11.2021, we found nine studies in the peer-reviewed literature, one thesis and one report, confirming the occurrence of microplastic in fishes from multiple Arctic...

Few studies have been published on occurrence and distribution on microplastics (MPs) in invertebrates from the Arctic. We still need to develop harmonised methods to enable good comparison between studies taking into account recovery rates, size ranges, shapes and polymer types. Here, we review studies on MPs in invertebrates from the Arctic and p...

The pollution of the environment with plastics is of growing concern worldwide, including the Arctic region. While larger plastic pieces are a visible pollution issue, smaller microplastics are not visible with the naked eye. These particles are available for interaction by Arctic biota and have become a concern for animal and human health. The det...

The rapid growth in microplastic pollution research is influencing funding priorities, environmental policy, and public perceptions of risks to water quality and environmental and human health. Ensuring that environmental microplastics research data are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) is essential to inform policy and mitig...

Plastic pollution has been reported to affect Arctic mammals and birds. There are strengths and limitations to monitoring litter and microplastics using Arctic mammals and birds. One strength is the direct use of these data to understand the potential impacts on Arctic biodiversity as well as effects on human health, if selected species are consume...

This chapter presents an update on the status of knowledge surrounding microplastics in fish and seafood species and the consequences to the seafood supply chain. Seafood species can uptake microplastics through a variety of pathways, such as in a wild or aquaculture setting. The most studied routes are via ingestion, either directly from the envir...

Lack of knowledge on levels and trends of litter and microplastic in the Arctic, is limiting our understanding of the sources, transport, fate and effects is hampering global activities aimed at reducing litter and microplastic in the environment. To obtain a holistic view to managing litter and microplastics in the Arctic, we considered the curren...

Microplastics have been detected in lake environments globally, including in remote regions. Agricultural and populated areas are known to congregate several inputs and release pathways for microplastic. This study investigated microplastic (50–5000 µm) contamination in five Danish freshwater lakes with catchments dominated by arable land use. The...

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) has published a plan and guidelines for the monitoring of litter and microplastics (MP) in the Arctic. Here we look beyond suggestions for immediate monitoring and discuss challenges, opportunities and future strategies in the long-term monitoring of litter and MP in the Arctic. Challenges are r...

Comparative investigations of microplastics (MPs) occurrence in the global ocean are often hampered by the application of different methods. In this study, the same sampling and analytical approach was applied during five different cruises to investigate MPs covering a route from the East-Siberian Sea in the Arctic, through the Atlantic, and into t...

Given the increasing attention on the occurrence of microplastics in the environment, and the potential environmental threats they pose, there is a need for researchers to move quickly from basic understanding to applied science that supports decision makers in finding feasible mitigation measures and solutions. At the same time, they must provide...

Microplastic presence in benthic marine systems is a widely discussed topic. The influence of the natural matrix on microplastic distribution within the sedimentary matrix is often overlooked. Marine sediments from the western inner Oslofjord, Norway, were investigated for temporal trends, with a particular focus on the relationship between sedimen...

Litter and microplastic assessments are being carried out worldwide. Arctic ecosystems are no exception and plastic pollution is high on the Arctic Council’s agenda. Water and sediment have been identified as two of the priority compartments for monitoring plastics under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). Recommendations for mon...

Buried microplastics (plastics, <5 mm) have been documented within the sediment column of both marine and lacustrine environments. However, the number of peer-review studies published on the subject remains limited and confidence in data reliability varies considerably. Here we critically review the state of the literature on microplastic loading i...

A total of 8218 pelagic microplastic samples from the world’s oceans were synthesized to create a dataset composed of raw, calibrated, processed, and gridded data which are made available to the public. The raw microplastic abundance data were obtained by different research projects using surface net tows or continuous seawater intake. Fibrous micr...

The purpose of the guidelines is to review existing knowledge and provide guidance for designing an Arctic monitoring program that will track litter and MP. The topics of litter, plastic pollution, and MP are addressed in many fora, including several of the Arctic Council working groups: Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP; https://www...

Seafood is an important food source, and this chapter addresses the food safety concerns related to plastic particles in different seafood. Here we focus on those species which are commonly consumed by humans, such as bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, echinoderms, crustaceans, and finfish. The objectives of this chapter are to (1) outline the majo...

Plastic pollution is a widespread environmental problem that is currently one of the most discussed issues by scientists, policymakers and society at large. The potential ecotoxicological effects of plastic particles in a wide range of organisms have been investigated in a growing number of exposure studies over the past years. Nonetheless, many qu...

Chitinaceous organisms have been found to ingest microplastic; however, a standardised, validated, and time- and cost-efficient method for dissolving these organisms without affecting microplastic particles is still required. This study tested four protocols for dissolving organisms with a chitin exoskeleton: 1) potassium hydroxide (KOH) + chitinas...

Microplastic research, initially focusing on marine environments, left freshwater ecosystems largely unexplored. Freshwaters are also vulnerable to microplastics and are likely the largest microplastic supplier to the ocean. However, microplastic sources, transport pathways, and fluxes at the catchment level remain to be quantified, compromising ef...

The Arctic ecosystem receives contaminants transported through complex environmental pathways – such as atmospheric, riverine and oceanographic transport, as well as local infrastructure. A holistic approach is required to assess the impact that plastic pollution may have on the Arctic, especially with regards to the unseen microplastics. This stud...

Globally, microplastics (MPs) are expected to accumulate at high concentrations in coastal sediments because these are readily linked with both land- and sea-based inputs, and changes in density and buoyancy facilitate sinking to the seabed. The Fjordic systems on the Norwegian coast have received some attention, reporting the presence of MPs in se...

Chitinaceous organisms have been found to ingest microplastic; however, a standardised, validated, and time- and cost-efficient method for dissolving these organisms without affecting microplastic particles is still required. This study tested four protocols for dissolving organisms with a chitin exoskeleton: 1) potassium hydroxide (KOH) + chitinas...

Plastic pollution is globally recognised as a threat to marine ecosystems, habitats, and wildlife, and it has now reached remote locations such as the Arctic Ocean. Nevertheless, the distribution of microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic is particularly underreported. Here we present analyses of 60 subsurface pump water samples and 48 surface neuston...

Ecological impacts of plastic pollution are widespread, in all biomes and geographies. Here, we report the ingestion of anthropogenic waste, primarily plastic bags and rope by dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has led to a regional mortality rate of 1%. We define the ingested waste as a polybezoar, a co...

Norwegian fjord systems provide a host of ecosystem services and are important for recreational and industrial use. The biodiversity of Norwegian fjords has been—and still is—extensively studied since they are important for fishing and aquaculture industries. However, threats from plastic and microplastic pollution within the fjord systems are larg...

Researchers have been identifying microplastics in environmental samples dating back to the 1970s. Today, microplastics are a recognized environmental pollutant attracting a large amount of public and government attention, and in the last few years the number of scientific publications has grown exponentially. An underlying theme within this resear...

The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive require that EU Member States establish appropriate strategies and sampling programmes for microplastic in the marine environment. We report the results of a two-tiered pilot study consisting of a mini review focusing on sampling of microplastic in marine surface water and a test sampling of microplastic p...

Plastic is a ubiquitous contaminant of the Anthropocene. The highly diverse nature of microplastic pollution means it is not a single contaminant, but a suite of chemicals that include a range of polymers, particle sizes, colors, morphologies, and associated contaminants. Microplastics research has rapidly expanded in recent years and has led to an...

Microplastics are increasingly recognized as being globally widespread, but relatively little is known about the presence and abundance of microplastics in samples collected in Polar Regions. Here we review the current knowledge about microplastic occurrence and distribution in polar environments, with a particular focus on the relevance of the dat...

Plastic pollution is a defining environmental contaminant and is considered to be one of the greatest environmental threats of the Anthropocene, with its presence documented across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The majority of this plastic debris falls into the micro (1 μm - 5 mm) or nano (1 - 1000 nm) size range and comes from primary and se...

Plastic pollution is a defining environmental contaminant and is considered to be one of the greatest environmental threats of the Anthropocene, with its presence documented across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The majority of this plastic debris falls into the micro (1 μm-5 mm) or nano (1-1000 nm) size range and comes from primary and second...

The ubiquitous pollution of the environment with microplastics, a diverse suite of contaminants, is of growing concern for science and currently receives considerable public, political, and academic attention. The potential impact of microplastics in the environment has prompted a great deal of research in recent years. Many diverse methods have be...

Microplastics are a diverse category of pollutants, comprising a range of constituent polymers modified by varying quantities of additives and sorbed pollutants, and exhibiting a range of morphologies, sizes, and visual properties. This diversity, as well as their microscopic size range, presents numerous barriers to identification and enumeration....

Plastic pollution in the oceans is a priority environmental issue. The recent increase in research on the topic, coupled with growing public awareness, has catalyzed policymakers around the world to identify and implement solutions that minimize the harm caused by plastic pollution. To aid and coordinate these efforts, we surveyed experts with scie...

The occurrence of plastic waste in the environment has become a central topic on the global agenda. Recently, significant attention has been paid to this issue, with a particular focus on small plastic particles, microplastics, in the marine environment. This has resulted in a large volume of scientific research and public and media attention to th...

Microplastic (MP) pollution has rapidly become one of the most prominent global environmental issues. While there is debate as to whether the issue warrants the level of research, media, and funding currently centered upon it, the prevalence of MPs throughout the environment cannot be underestimated. Studies have demonstrated the movement of MPs in...

The steering committee of VKM has self-initiated a mandate for an opinion on microplastics based on recently published international and/or national reports complemented with literature from December 2016 to February 2019. The mandate requested a summary of the state of knowledge on the presence of microplastics in the environment and the implicati...

An interlaboratory comparison exercise was conducted to assess the consistency of microplastic quantification across several laboratories. The test samples were prepared by mixing one liter seawater free of plastics, mi-croplastics made from polypropylene, high-and low-density polyethylene, and artificial particles in two plastic bottles, and analy...

grey seals were recovered from trammel nets targeting monkfish and rays off the south coast of Ireland. Incidence and distribution of microplastics were investigated along the intestines of bycaught seals. No macrodebris items were found, whereas microplastics were detected in all seals. A total of 363 microplastics items were identified (85% fiber...