Lake Champlain scientists are researching how much marine debris and microplastic pollution are in the lake. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley went out on the water this week to take a deeper look at the emerging sector in marine science.
It’s a hot, hazy day as scientists, stakeholders and the media board the Marcelle Melosira, the University of Vermont’s hybrid research vessel.
As the boat leaves the marina, Vermont Boat and Marine Association President Mike O’Brien points out key areas of the Burlington waterfront.
“Everybody, if you're not familiar with the waterfront, we just passed the Burlington Boathouse, which is the red roof. And then we have Burlington Bay Marina, which is the newest marina at the Burlington waterfront,” O’Brien points out. “And as we move over, we move over to the Lake Champlain Sailing Center, which is all new in the last four years. And then we're coming up on North Beach.”
As the Marcelle Melosira continues to the mouth of the Winooski River, Lake Champlain Sea Grant and University of Vermont interns Erika Tally and Molly Moening provide an introduction to marine debris and the problem in Lake Champlain. Moening explains that NOAA defines marine debris as any persistent solid manufactured or processed material that is intentionally or unintentionally disposed of into a marine environment.
“The most common types of marine debris that we see are plastics, microplastics, cigarette butts, food wrappers, fishing gear. And then the number one marine debris in Lake Champlain is foam,” Moening reports.
Moening notes that 80 percent of all marine debris in rivers, lakes and oceans originates on land.
“Specifically to Lake Champlain it’s unique because the Lake Champlain Basin is over 8000 square miles, so there's a lot of area for trash to be deposited into the lake. So you could be on the top of Mount Mansfield and drop a piece of plastic that could eventually end up in Lake Champlain,” Moening said.
Foam is a key contaminant of concern. Tally explained the implications of the pollutant in the lake
“First of all, for wildlife consuming foam causes internal blockages to the organs. Basically, animals eat it. They think it's food and then they starve because it's not actually nutritional but it's filling up their stomach. It can affect seabirds, marine mammals, turtles and commercial seafood. It sheds microplastics, which can contaminate food, water,” Tally reported. “And then there's the issue of toxicity. Polystyrene is toxic to the central nervous system and is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen by the National Institutes of Health.”
Lake Champlain Sea Grant Water Resources Extension Specialist Dr. Audet Lochet displays samples of microplastics found in the lake.
“Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastics that are five millimeter or less. So anything that is smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser is a microplastics. There are several types of microplastics,” Lochet explained. “Foam is one of them. Fibers. So anything that comes from our clothing can end up in Lake Champlain as marine debris. And then we also have nurdles, or pellets. These are made on purpose very small. This is what we use to make plastics.”
Conservation Law Foundation Lake Champlain Lakekeeper Julie Silverman says microplastics and marine debris have become key concerns for Lake Champlain over the past decade.
“There's been a lot more work happening in the oceans for longer about plastic and microplastics and so it's really important for us to really get a handle on this, because what we're really trying to do is understand where it's coming from to stop that input where it's happening,” Silverman said,
Rosalia Project Environmental Education Program Specialist Nicole Chochrek says they have been conducting research out of Burlington since 2010.
“As we're talking about solutions and education, the importance of understanding this material is clear. From these samples, you can see quite a diversity of different types of foam, from texture, color, size. This makes it very hard to identify and it also makes it very hard to understand the source,” Chochrek said. “Identification and understanding of this material directly influences solutions, so that we can create quantifiable change moving forward that protects the health and safety, not only of the lake, but everyone.”
The scientists display foam coolers, plastics that buffer docks, litter and other materials that have been collected.
As the Marcelle Melosira stops offshore of Rock Point near Burlington, Silverman says a prevalence of plastic use now means there is a need to determine where the marine debris is coming from.
“We also know from data that we have micro plastics in every part of our world and in our body. Because it's so prevalent, it's just become like too easy,” Silverman considers. “Can you buy a head of lettuce or green beans and put them in a reusable bag instead of picking up another plastic bag for your produce? You know, all of this stuff has just become part of our culture that it doesn't have to be.”
Lake Champlain Committee Water and Science Program Coordinator Lindsey Carlson says they have want to focus on plastics and marine debris, but this is the first year they have been able to collect data.
“Monitors, they go out to their weekly monitoring site to go collect cyanobacteria or assess conditions for cyanobacteria. And so we ask that while they are there, they just go around and pick up any sort of marine debris that they are seeing and kind of put it in a pile,” Carlson said. “And then they are going to take the time to sort through it.”
“Your volunteers for the Lake Champlain Committee, they're not collecting it from the water directly?” asks Bradley.
“No, they're shoreline monitors,” Carlson replies. “So there's about 150 sites around Lake Champlain, both on the Vermont and New York side, as well as up in Quebec, where they do their assessments. So they're doing monitoring of shoreline sites.”
Lake Champlain Sea Grant Director Dr. Anne Jefferson says the study of microplastics started in oceans and only recently migrated to fresh water systems.
“One of the things that I find really exciting about working on microplastics is that we can be the first one to study and document microplastics in the Lake Champlain Basin in a comprehensive way. In 2025 it's not a lot of science you could say where you're like, really the first one establishing baseline data, but we can do that for microplastics and I think that's really exciting,” Jefferson said. “But it also means that there's not a lot to guide us in terms of knowing what we're going to find and there's not a lot to guide policy and solutions because it's a new science space.”
Jefferson adds:
“If you’re swimming in Lake Champlain, you're not at risk of something because of microplastics, right? It's more subtle than that. One of the things that is concerning about microplastics goes back to what we don't know. We're still establishing the science. When we're collecting samples, we're doing things like running a net in a river for 10 minutes or taking a little plot on the beach and bringing it and sieving it and then looking at it under the microscope. And yet we know that they're lasting potentially hundreds of years in the environment. So it's just a building and building problem that we're only beginning to fully understand the effects of,” Jefferson noted.
The Lake Champlain Sea Grant says the Lake George Association is a part of the research consortium and is using their floating classroom for research there, as well.
