Abigail Barrows

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

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

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

  • 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

  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. 14 January 2021. 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. Bibcode:2018WatRe.147..382B. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2018.10.013. ISSN 0043-1354. PMID 30336341.