Marine Pollution
Monitoring human impacts on the ocean and delivering science-based solutions
About this challenge
Human activities impose a wide range of pressures on marine ecosystems, affecting their capacity to function effectively. PML offers capacity and expertise with which to observe and solve issues recognised in cultural and legislative concerns and that are key to global sustainability goals.
of global population live by the coast
pieces of plastic debris in the ocean
km3/year of river water enters the ocean each year
The Challenge
Why marine pollution matters for the Ocean
Global livelihoods depend on the ecosystem services provided by inland and coastal water bodies. Human activities continuously degrade water resources, harm the organisms that rely on them, and undermine the long-term sustainability of those services.
Human activities are introducing contaminants into our inland and coastal waters at a rate that is challenging our ability to understand, manage, or reverse the damage. Excess nutrients are driving eutrophication and deoxygenation in freshwaters, estuaries and coastal zones. Plastics and microfibers are accumulating throughout food webs. Harmful algal blooms are threatening public health, fisheries and drinking water supplies. Artificial light, heavy metals, and emerging chemical pollutants are silently disrupting habitats and the organisms that depend on them. The consequences fall on ecosystems, economies, and communities alike.
PML’s ambition is to deliver science-based management of catchments and their water bodies to prevent, manage and mitigate pollution. We are working towards an integrated approach that combines policy, nature-based solutions, and a water-smart society, alongside sustainable exploitation and enjoyment of natural capital assets. We want to see more effective, evidence-driven policies, improved prediction and mitigation of pollution risks, and sustained behavioural change across industries and communities, so that aquatic ecosystems can continue to support life from source to sea.
Our Solutions
How PML is addressing marine pollution
We deliver inter-disciplinary, actionable intelligence across spatial and temporal scales. Our solutions combine advanced observation, scalable modelling, and socio-economic analysis to help policymakers, industries and communities manage pollution from source to sea.
Solutions
Managing water quality from catchment to coast
PML delivers integrated, science-driven solutions to protect water quality, natural capital and ecosystem services across the water continuum, from upstream catchments and lakes, through rivers, lagoons and estuaries, to coastal seas. We combine socio-economic insight with advanced observation and ecosystem modelling to provide tailored, evidence-based support for sustainable water management. Download our leaflet to find out more about our overall…
Solutions
Marine infrastructure, shipping and seabed use
Human use of the Ocean is intensifying across multiple sectors simultaneously – from shipping and seabed trawling to offshore energy development and the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure. PML works directly with the full range of actors in this space – from local stakeholders to industry and policymakers – to provide timely, integrated evidence that supports nature-positive outcomes.
Solutions
Monitoring and restoring disturbed biological systems
Various forms of pollution are increasingly disrupting aquatic ecosystems, driving biodiversity loss and reducing ecosystem resilience. PML delivers the integrated science needed to understand and manage disturbed biological systems. Combining Earth observation and remote sensing, advanced monitoring techniques, modelling, ecotoxicology and socio-economic expertise, we help detect emerging threats, predict cumulative impacts and develop solutions that protect ecosystems and the benefits…
Science in Action
Featured news & projects
Our scientists are advancing understanding of Marine Pollution using the latest tools and techniques.
Experts working in marine pollution
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Ocean Challenge lead details
Professor Andy Rees
Ocean Challenge Lead: Marine Pollution
