Abigail Barrows

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abigail P. W. Barrows
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Known formicroplastics research
Scientific career
FieldsMarine science
InstitutionsAdventure Scientists

Abigail P. W. Barrows (born 1984) is an American marine research scientist[1] and advocate based in Maine.[2] Barrows directs microplastics research that is used to inform conservation-focused legislation, and she initiated the first baseline data map of microplastic pollution distribution in the waters off the coast of Maine.[3][2]

Early life and Education[edit]

Barrows grew up in Stonington, Maine, a town on the island of Deer Isle, off the coast of Maine.[2] In 2006, Barrows graduated with a bachelor's degree in zoology with a focus on marine biology from the University of Tasmania, Australia.[4] After returning to Stonington, Maine, Barrows completed her master's degree in microplastics from the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine in 2018.[5]

Career[edit]

Barrows studies plastic pollution in global waterways.[6] Barrows' biological studies led her to travel much of the world including Papua New Guinea, the Himalaya, and South and Central America.[7] She later focused her studies on microplastics, having recognized plastic pollution as a global issue.[8][9] Barrows has leveraged her research to help pass legislation to reduce plastic consumption.[10]

Barrows directed global microplastic pollution research from 2013 to 2017, and consequently published research in collaboration with the Shaw Institute.[11] She has published 12 scientific papers and her work on microplastic prevalence has been cited hundreds of times.[1] Burrows worked with Adventure Scientists, an organization that links researchers with outdoorsmen and women.[12] This collaboration yielded the largest known and most diverse microplastics dataset as of 2019.[13]

Selected Bibliography[edit]

  • Grab vs. neuston tow net: a microplastic sampling performance comparison and possible advances in the field. Abigail P. W. Barrows, Courtney A. Neumann, Michelle L. Berger and Susan D. Shaw. Analytical Methods, 2017.[14]
  • Mountains to the sea: River study of plastic and non-plastic microfiber pollution in the northeast USA. Rachael Z. Miller, Andrew J.R. Watts, Brooke O. Winslow, Tamara S. Galloway and Abigail P.W. Barrows. The Marine Pollution Bulletin. 2017.
  • Global patterns for the spatial distribution of floating microfibers: Arctic Ocean as a potential accumulation zone. André R.A. Lima, Guilherme V.B. Ferreira, Abigail P.W. Barrows, Katie S. Christiansen, Gregg Treinish, Michelle C. Toshack. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2021.
  • A watershed-scale, citizen science approach to quantifying microplastic concentration in a mixed land-use river. Abigail P.W. Barrows, Katie S. Christiansen, Emma T. Bode, Timothy J. Hoellein. Water Research. 2018.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Abigail Barrows". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  2. ^ a b c Kevin, Brian (2021-09-19). "In a Maine Fishing Village, a Microplastics Researcher Reenvisions Aquaculture". Down East Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  3. ^ Lee, Vivian (2020-05-07). "An Unexpected Dinner Guest: Marine Plastic Pollution Hides a Neurological Toxin in Our Food". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  4. ^ Carne, Gabriella (2017-02-10). "Abi Barrows - Fighting Plastic Pollution with Citizen Science". scu.edu/ethics/. Archived from the original on 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  5. ^ Ortiz, Victoria. "Oceanic Society Expedition". adventurescientists.org. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  6. ^ "What should be prioritized to prevent plastic pollution? Science, education or legal policy? – | be Waste Wise". Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  7. ^ "Marine Scientist Abby Barrows talk: Microplastic Pollution in Aquatic Environments". PenBay Pilot. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  8. ^ "Abby Barrows - Be Waste Wise". wastewise.be. 2016-05-01. Archived from the original on 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  9. ^ "Marine environment microfiber contamination: Global patterns and the diversity of microparticle origins". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  10. ^ "Be Waste Wise". wastewise.be. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  11. ^ "Global Microplastics Initiative". adventurescientists.org. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  12. ^ "Citizen Adventurers". www.npr.org. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  13. ^ Difrisco, Emily. "Unseen Plastics In Our Water". www.earthisland.org. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  14. ^ Barrows, Abigail P. W.; Neumann, Courtney A.; Berger, Michelle L.; Shaw, Susan D. (2017-03-02). "Grab vs. neuston tow net: a microplastic sampling performance comparison and possible advances in the field". Analytical Methods. 9 (9): 1446–1453. doi:10.1039/C6AY02387H. ISSN 1759-9679.
  15. ^ Barrows, Abigail P. W.; Christiansen, Katie S.; Bode, Emma T.; Hoellein, Timothy J. (2018-12-15). "A watershed-scale, citizen science approach to quantifying microplastic concentration in a mixed land-use river". Water Research. 147: 382–392. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2018.10.013. ISSN 0043-1354.

External links[edit]

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