'Microplastics and the Mississippi River' with Dr. Mark C. Benfield, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. Microplastics have emerged as a serious environmental problem. These Mardi Gras bead size and smaller plastic particles are accumulating in our oceans and in marine organisms. Rivers appear to play a major role in transporting microplastics into the oceans. This talk will introduce you to microplastics and what some of the environmental problems they pose. We’ll look at how they may be impacting fisheries in our coastal waters and talk about potential solutions to reduce the quantities of microplastics that we produce.