NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — The University of Central Florida’s Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab (CEELAB) is looking for Volusia County residents to help with a citizen science project near the Indian River Lagoon in New Smyrna Beach.

The project is investigating microplastic pollution in wind and rain samples near the Indian River Lagoon. The estuary is nearly a second home for Dr. Linda Walters, a Pegasus Professor of Biology at the University of Central Florida. She’s been studying the lagoon for nearly 30 years. 

“There is something about this lagoon that sucks you in,” Walters said.

Her research has shown that the lagoon is a hotspot for microplastics.

“We have documented that oysters in the Indian River Lagoon have an average of 2.2 pieces of plastic in their soft tissues,” Walters said.

Microplastics can harm wildlife and the environment. Walters and her students found that every liter of water from the lagoon has an average of 1.5 pieces of plastic. 

“We have this number already of how much plastic is already there, and now it’s parsing out to, ‘Where do all those pieces of plastic in the water come from?’” Walters said.

The question prompted her newest research: finding out if microplastics are entering the lagoon through atmospheric deposition. It’s when pollutants in the atmosphere fall to the earth’s surface. 

“These are the jars that are going to collect the atmospheric deposition samples,” she said.

Walters is using glass jars to test the air near the lagoon for microplastics. After being labeled, the jars are placed outside to collect wind and rain samples. 

“You will open them as quickly as possible and disappear as quick as possible, so you are not contributing to the microplastics,” Walters said.

The jars are left open for three hours to collect samples. It’s a process Walters and her students have completed dozens of times near the Mosquito Lagoon, the northern part of the Indian River Lagoon and Canaveral National Seashore. Now they’re looking for residents in New Smyrna, Edgewater and Oak Hill to help.

“We want anybody and everybody who’s near the lagoon within these three communities to participate,” she said.

Walters is looking for residents to collect samples in their backyards. After they’re collected, Walters and students bring them to the CEELAB for processing.

“Our goal now is to get those plastics out of the jars so we can quantify them,” she said.

Walters and her students use filter paper to collect any plastic particles that fell into the jar during the collection window. Then, they fill the jars with water to collect any particles stuck to the sides. 

“We put it in a vacuum filtration apparatus,” Walters said. “We pour the water over. It sucks out all the water.”

After the water is vacuumed out, the particles are left on the filter, which is analyzed under a microscope.

“We scan the entire filter to see what’s there and then we go grid-by-grid,” she said.

Under the microscope, Walters and her students see what particles were collected in their samples, and identify the plastics. Microplastics come from larger plastics breaking down, but they can also come from things like clothing and fishing gear. Together, Walters and her students are finding out if there are microplastics in the atmosphere near the lagoon.

“‘What’s really in our atmosphere that we could be breathing in or our kids or pets are breathing in or landing in the water in the Indian River Lagoon?’” Walters said.

Right now, the study is just beginning but its end results can help protect the lagoon. Walters said measuring what’s in the atmosphere now can lead to solutions in the future.

The project will run until May 2025. If you’re interested in participating, you can pick up materials at the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach or have them delivered to you. All materials are free and instructions are provided. More information can be found on the project’s FAQ page. You can also complete an interest form.