Dr. Peter S. Ross is the Vice-President of Research at Ocean Wise, an initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium family. He holds an Adjunct Professor position at the University of Victoria, and served as a Research Scientist with the Canadian government between 1996 and 2013. He has published over 150 scientific articles and book chapters on topics in ocean pollution, with a focus on the source, transport, fate and effects of priority pollutants. He launched the Ocean Pollution Research Program at Ocean Wise in 2014, and continues to lead a solution-oriented microplastic pollution research program. His team is working with major outdoor retailers and Metro Vancouver waste water treatment operators to evaluate the role of textiles and other household sources of microplastics released into coastal environments.
Ocean plastic pollution represents a global crisis. And microplastics – the tiny particles that make up plastic – contaminate our lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as land-based environments. Recent research suggests that the shedding of microfibres in laundry from synthetic garments may represent a growing contribution to microplastic pollution.