A geology and hydrology professor will discuss the dangers of microplastics in rivers during a program in Oak Ridge on Thursday, September 29.
Martin Knoll is professor of geology and hydrology and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems at the University of the South. He will talk to the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.
The program is at the UT Arboretum Auditorium at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge starting at 7 p.m. September 29. The talk is titled “Microplastics in the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Rhine Rivers: Why We Should Care.”
Knoll’s presentation will focus on his research investigating the concentration and types of microplastics found in the three rivers, a press release said. Special emphasis will be placed on his recent findings about the major sources of these microplastics and what might be done to reduce their numbers.
No registration is necessary, but seating is limited, the press release said. The program is sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning.
“Microplastic particles have been discovered in almost all environments on planet Earth,” the press release said. “Recent research has identified several negative health impacts of these plastics on aquatic life. Microplastics have also been found in the lungs and bloodstream of humans.”
Knoll earned his bachelor’s degrees in German and natural resources at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. After studying at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, he earned a master’s degree in geology at Vanderbilt University and a doctorate in geology at the University of Texas at El Paso.
He now chairs the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems at Sewanee, The University of the South. His research interests include the geology of the Mojave Desert, groundwater and stormwater dynamics on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee, insects in Baltic amber, landscape evolution of southwest Germany, and microplastics in the Tennessee, Cumberland, Rhine, and Danube Rivers, the press release said. In 2017 he was project director for the Tenneswim, the most ambitious analysis of water quality in the Tennessee River ever conducted. He lives with his wife, three sons, and an English Bulldog in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Please contact UT Arboretum Education Coordinator Michelle Campanis at mcampani@utk.edu with any questions.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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