Grade 11 pupil Ritvik Manicka has been making waves together with his current analysis on plastic air pollution in Southern Ontario waterways
Ritvik Manicka, a Grade 11 pupil at Bishop Reding Secondary College, has been making waves together with his current analysis on plastic air pollution in Southern Ontario waterways.
Underneath the steering of specialists from the College of Chicago, the College of New Hampshire, and the College of Toronto’s Trash Crew, Manicka led a examine analyzing how plastics journey by and accumulate in native rivers, together with Oakville’s Bronte Creek.
“Actually the purpose with this work is to sort of perceive how these bottles transfer in an effort to forestall them from in the end coming into Lake Ontario the place they may pose a much bigger menace when it comes to breaking down into smaller microplastics or nano plastics which can’t be successfully filtered out in present ingesting water remedy processes,” Manicka informed Oakville Information.
Ritvik Manicka. Ritvik Manicka
The analysis group deployed satellite-tracked blender bottles in three key waterways: two bottles in Oakville’s Bronte Creek, three within the Grand River, and three within the Credit score River.
Bottles with sensors in them to trace plastic motion in native waterways. Ritvik Manicka
These bottles have been used to simulate the motion of plastic litter, which might assist the group determine “hotspots” the place plastics are inclined to accumulate.
“This analysis culminated in us discovering key hotspots of plastic accumulation, essential tendencies, and doable options to mitigate plastic air pollution within the area. Now we have consequently offered our outcomes to Swim Drink Fish, Conservation Halton, and the Wellington Water Watchers.”
Manicka says that Bronte Creek was an “fascinating place” for his or her examine. “No research on a scale just like ours have been achieved in Canada,” Manicka stated. “We selected Bronte Creek as a result of it is a small tributary, however it’s additionally a tributary that is related in Halton and runs by the areas of Conservation Halton. Another excuse why we did select Bronte Creek is as a result of we needed to grasp, or doubtlessly simulate, how litter or particles that’s deployed from Oakville or every other suburb close to Toronto, would possibly journey by a water system.”
Map monitoring the motion of the bottles within the waterways. Ritvik Manicka
Manicka’s analysis companion, Suraj Subrahmanyan, says that one problem they confronted of their analysis was stoppages within the waterways that left their bottles with the sensors caught for days. Nevertheless, in keeping with Subrahmanyan, this was a turning level for his or her analysis.
“Though this type of stopped us, we realized this was a turning level as a result of these areas of stoppages truly present the hotspots the place the litter accumulates,” he stated.
Suraj Subrahmanyan. Ritvik Manicka photograph
“Afterward we might discover out that this might assist optimize litter traps and waste seize initiatives led by municipalities and conservation organizations.”
Manicka says that an essential factor that got here from their analysis was understanding how the plastics enter Lake Ontario which helped them consider proactive methods.
“In case you can cease plastics at their supply, you’ll be able to cease them from breaking down into smaller items of plastic that may pose a danger to not solely marine life but additionally human well being,” stated Manicka.
“Finally for us, the broadest implication is informing municipalities how these plastics transfer of their water techniques, such that they are capable of make knowledgeable choices when it comes to options that may assist alleviate a few of these plastics from coming into Lake Ontario.”
Options that Manicka and his group got here up with embrace utilizing a water drone, which might scoop up plastics which have amassed in sure hotspot areas. Moreover, they need to converse with conservation organizations and encourage them to look in sure areas the place they’ve discovered plastic accumulations of their waters.
“Basically, based mostly on that they’ll goal their clean-up efforts to take a look at these areas,” Manicka stated.
By way of suggestions, Manicka says the organizations have acknowledged their findings and have been very receptive. “Since we spoke to Conservation Halton, they acknowledged our findings they usually highlighted to us that they may take a look at the areas we reported to them in an effort to seize a lot of the waste.”
Ben Brown contributed further reporting to this story.
