Detailing plastic pollution

Editorial: Plastic Pollution

Marine birds and plastic pollution

The intrinsic properties and widespread presence of plastic particles in the marine environment have profound effects on birds inhabiting the world's oceans. Industrial and user-plastics composed of polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, styrofoam, and polyvinyl chloride are the most prevalent forms of plastic marine pollution. Their dispersal and accumulation, in average densities of 1000 t...

Plastic hinge models for the seismic assessment of reinforced concrete wall-type piers with detailing deficiencies

Plastic hinge models are widely used in earthquake engineering to predict the load-deformation relationships of reinforced concrete members. For the seismic assessment of bridges, it is appealing to use those relatively simple models if the response is predicted with sufficient accuracy. The applicability of these models to wall-type bridge piers with weak seismic detailing is examined. Flexura...

Managing Marine Plastic Pollution: Policy Initiatives to Address Wayward Waste

Seabirds, gyres and global trends in plastic pollution.

Fulmars are effective biological indicators of the abundance of floating plastic marine debris. Long-term data reveal high plastic abundance in the southern North Sea, gradually decreasing to the north at increasing distance from population centres, with lowest levels in high-arctic waters. Since the 1980s, pre-production plastic pellets in North Sea fulmars have decreased by ∼75%, while user p...