Research Director and co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute
Dr. Marcus Eriksen is the Research Director and co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute. He studies the global distribution and ecological impacts of plastic marine pollution, which has included expeditions sailing through all 5 subtropical gyres, Bay of Bengal, Southern Ocean and inland lakes and rivers, most recently publishing the first global estimate of plastic pollution floating in the world’s oceans, totaling 270,000 metric tons from 5.25 trillion particles.
Continued research and advocacy have led to annual expeditions with young leaders in industry, science, activism and the arts, with the intention to provide science and understanding to a new generation. Recently, with a large team of NGO’s, the 5 Gyres Institute witnessed their discovery of microbeads in the Great Lakes lead to policy victories across the US banning microbeads in consumer products. It’s an example of science to solutions that we aim to apply to all products polluting our seas.