Marine Scientist in Kenya 🇰🇪 l National Geographic Explorer l Supporting Ocean Research in Eastern and Southern Africa
Kenya
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🎉 New research out today
🌊➡️🛰️ Although I’m a marine scientist, over the last couple of years I’ve been obsessed with space debris.
However, alongside colleagues, we noticed that there was a growing pattern. Challenges in protecting the ocean are now being reflected in orbit.
ALT A photo of the title page of a paper titled “Protect Earth’s orbit: Avoid high seas mistakes”
ALT Imogen Napper looking up to the sky at dusk. The moon appears above a cloud.
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My 3-year experiment is out today! This is a biodegradable plastic bag after 3-years in the marine environment, and it can hold a full bag of shopping. Biodegradable/compostable items do not necessarily break down quickly in natural environments like the ocean 🌊
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Remember plastic microbeads in facial scrubs? 🤔
In 2015, our research at @plymuni found up to 3 million could be in one bottle ⚠️
This research influenced international legislation banning microbeads in these products 🌏
A little research project can make a big change 💪
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Our new paper has identified the highest recorded microplastics ever found on Earth, near the top of Mt. Everest! 🏔⬆️
Microplastics were identified in every snow sample, with up to 70 microplastic pieces per litre ❄️
Find out more 📎: bitly.ws/aCIR
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🌊6️⃣ This biodegradable #plastic bag has been in the ocean for over 6 years!
🔬Previously, we published a scientific paper after 3 years (the whole time of my PhD!) showing that biodegradable bags could still hold a full bag of shopping
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⚓️Today I finished my mobilisation with the Royal Navy
It was quite a last minute turn around from my civilian job, but it was the most rewarding time I’ve done in the @RNReserve to input during a time of uncertainty
🤝Cheers to everyone I’ve worked with in the last few weeks
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🙌 Our research is featured in this months @natgeo magazine - an absolute dream of mine since I was younger
🌊🏔 Our @InsideNatGeo “Sea to Source” team did two expeditions in pre and post monsoon to travel the whole length of Ganges to understand the impact of plastic pollution
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🌍 So grateful to be highlighted in the next generation of @NatGeo Explorers
🌊 🏔️ 🛰️ Our work investigates pollution across our whole planet. From plastic in the ocean, to plastic fibres at the summit of Mt Everest to space debris in orbit!
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👋 Gone back to sea for a couple of months in an Offshore Patrol Vessel
🗺 Heading Eastern Mediterranean way
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🧠 Trying to get your brain around all of the new plastic research?
Me too…
So in an attempt to help my brain, we wrote a an open-access review!
5️⃣ We highlight research developments within the last 5 years
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Wash wash wash 👕 Our experiment looking at capturing plastic fibres from washing clothes is in full swing
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A majority of our clothes are made out of plastic and 700,000 fibres can come off our clothes when you wash them 👕
We built a washing machine lab and tested solutions aiming to stop or capture fibres💡
200 hours of washing later..
We found a device to be 80% successful! (1/3)
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If you fancy taking a 10-minute break during isolation, my first review article is out! 🙌
'Plastic Debris in the Marine Environment: History and Future Challenges'
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/…
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Delighted to be at the @NatGeo explorer festival in Washington D.C. How fitting that "planet or plastic" picture is on my journey there 🌎
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Back with my pals preparing for our research to come out next week 🎉
Our research is investigating how effective different inventions are at capturing fibres in the washing cycle 👕
📈 = less plastic potentially reaching the ocean 🌊
Excited to share the results soon!🚦
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Exciting post day! ✉️🙌
The Everest @natgeo Magazine and the journal containing the expedition’s research arrived on the door step! 🚪
Our research found the first microplastics on Mt Everest at the tallest height recorded in the world🏔⬆️
Thanks to the whole team!
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🤏Seeing your feature in the @natgeo magazine at an airport whilst travelling back from fieldwork was a complete surreal pinch me moment
So grateful to share the pages with some incredible researchers, activists, and storytellers!
Take a peek in the next edition
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🎉 Over the moon to have won the @sascampaigns Change Maker Award
💡 The Change Maker Award is aimed at researchers and scientists who have carried out groundbreaking research or made a promising scientific breakthrough to reduce plastic pollution
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Today is washing machine delivery day 🚛 The new washing lab is nearly ready to start research with @NatGeoExplorers and @SkyOceanRescue to find plastic fibre capturing solutions so we can stop polluting our oceans through clothes washing 👕
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As a Royal Navy Reservist, I'm privileged to work with those making a difference inside and outside the @RoyalNavy
The word ‘duty' varies in meaning, but it’s fuelled by community and purpose
Proud to share my personal story and what it means to me
Behind every uniform there’s a story to tell.
These are our people, their dreams, passions and aspirations.
Living proof that the Royal Navy doesn’t teach a sense of duty, it just helps you find yours.
Read more: royalnavy.mod.uk/celebrate?u…
#ACelebrationOfDuty
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Did you know that car tyres are a major source of microplastics into the environment 🚗 ? Our @DefraGovUK study (led by @ParkerJurd) is out today (link below) ⏬ It involved lots of sampling at sewage treatment plants and road runoff in the rain..
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I’m unbelievably excited to announce I will be on the @NatGeo #planetorplastic expedition. We are an international all female team, who are investigating plastic pollution in the Ganges river. Starting from the ocean in Bangladesh 🇧🇩 and finishing at the Himalayas in India 🇮🇳
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📚 Our research won a Guinness world record - the book just arrived at my house!
🏔 With the @InsideNatGeo Everest expedition team, snow samples were taken all the way from Basecamp to just below the summit
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🎉 New job announcement
🕺 A few months ago I joined Basecamp Research as an expedition scientist
🌍 Our job is to travel the globe to find novel proteins in nature to protect areas against biodiversity and habitat loss
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Our research won a Guinness World Record 🥇
Our record is for the ‘Highest-altitude microplastics found on land’ during the @insidenatgeo Everest expedition 🏔
It’s scary to know we are polluting near the top of Mt Everest, so now we need to focus on solutions to stop it 🤝
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Best way to start the weekend is finding out your paper has been accepted 🍾 ✨
From setting up the lab, doing the analysis and writing it up everyone has put in a lot of work so we are excited to share the #research soon!
Sneak peak...it involves our washing machine lab 🕺
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📚Excited to be a highlighted scientist in an @InsideNatGeo book
🌎 The book is aimed at kids focussing on female role models specialising in many different areas, such as science or art
🌊 Over the moon to be in the book with fellow team #expeditionplastic members
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🇧🇩🇮🇳 After 4 months of @InsideNatGeo expedition and 3600 litres of water analysed, our new research is out!
We predict that 1-3 billion microplastics could be discharged into the Bay of Bengal daily from the combined flows of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers❗️
(1/2)
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👋 Some personal news - I’m buzzing to be jumping into a new job this week but means I’m leaving @plymuni
7️⃣ I’ve been at the University of Plymouth for 7 years, starting there with my PhD and staying on afterwards as a post doc
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Super proud of our research group being awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for our research into plastic pollution today 🔬 🥂 To top it off, the ceremony was held in Buckingham Palace 🇬🇧 Congratulations team!
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Today I presented in @UKParliament about #plastic #pollution from clothing. It was very powerful having industry, government and academics in one room! @WomensInstitute
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🇬🇧 Sailing back to the U.K. after a couple of months away in @hms_albion to the North and Baltic Sea
🌊 Thank you to everyone who made the @RoyalNavy deployment memorable!
#UKResponseGroup
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Day in the life ‘lab style’ ✌️
Currently I’m extracting microplastics from Ganges river sediment to understand how many could be sinking to the bottom ⏬.
We are starting to see some interesting patterns already❗️
@InsideNatGeo @PlymUni
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Had the most magical evening watching @BluePlanet2Live. Bringing the ocean alive on stage with music 🎵🌊
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My research on how washing our clothes can release tiny plastic fibres into the oceans was on #ITVTonight 📺 Catch me looking at plastic fibres whilst eating your dinner 🍴
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🚢➡️🚢 Jumping from ship to ship via helicopter
⚓️ 1 month into the #UKResponseGroup deployment
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🇧🇸 Life update - I’ve moved to the Bahamas for a few months!
I’ll be working at @ceibahamas and teaching / doing research focussed on pollution
I arrived last week so still learning the ropes but very excited for the opportunity
👋 I’ll be back end of May / June
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Today I gave evidence about #microplastics to the Welsh Parliament (National Assembly). We discussed solutions such as the potential of a single-use plastic tax and how important education is 🌊🔬
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🌊🥤 Buzzing to be working on a project focussed on reducing beach litter within the Indian Ocean
We are testing the feasibility of different technological solutions to reduce plastic debris within remote islands
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Spending the last day of my PhD filming on the beach with @PlymUni 🌊. Send good luck vibes for tomorrow ☘️
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We are ready to start post-monsoon #expeditionplastic 💪 We are researching plastic pollution in the Ganges - all the way from where the Ganges meets the Ocean 🌊 to the source in the Himalayas 🏔 @InsideNatGeo
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🛰️ Let’s talk about space debris
I joined @BBCNews to talk about space sustainability and how we can use our knowledge of protecting the ocean to help
🪐 Hear the story and see me floating around a spacey green screen
@PlymUni @InsideNatGeo @mojo90
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📚Buzzing to be a featured scientist in @NatGeo Learning text books
🌍 These text books are designed to help students learn the English language but through real life situations
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🫡 I dedicate this book chapter to my OG research washing machine
Recently I led a chapter in a book focussing on #microfibres released by washing our clothes. A problem as a lot of the clothes we wear are plastic!
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🚨 New #research alert!
🪢 We found that rope used in the maritime industry may be releasing billions of microplastics directly into the ocean every year (1/4)
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🌊 A friend sent me a photo of a HUGE net which they pulled out of the ocean from their merchant ship.
👏 Who knows the impact this could have caused if not pulled out. Thanks to the legends like this who went out of their way to remove it!
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Lead the way @GretaThunberg ! You are the inspiration we need during this environmental crisis 🌎 Calm seas, and fair winds ⛵️ It was a pleasure to host you in Plymouth!
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✨ Over the moon to have my research journey highlighted by @InsideNatGeo
I’ve been incredibly lucky to work alongside amazing scientists, conservationists, storytellers and environmentalists over the last 10 years
🕺Here’s to more exciting years along the way
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PhD Graduation day 🎉! I had the loveliest day, celebrating with the loveliest people! Congratulations to everyone 🥂
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Wearing a different hat from @SkyOceanRescue today. Proud to be representing the @RNReserve on @SkyNews ⚓️ 🌊
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Over 700,000 fibres can come off our clothes when you wash them 👚
A problem when the majority of our clothes are made out of plastic 🚫
We built a washing machine lab to test solutions aiming to stop or capture fibres 🚧
Find out the results 👇
sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
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Absolutely chuffed to share my research on the National Geographic stage at #NatGeoFestLDN @InsideNatGeo
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🥼Hanging up the lab coat again until July
❄️ A little trip further North
👋 See you in a couple of months
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Life dream ✅ Presenting at National Geographic in Washington D.C. Feel incredibly lucky to have shared the stage with inspirational women working on marine litter #NatGeoFest
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❄️ Wild swimming in the Arctic Circle on Midsummer’s Day
🇳🇴 We are doing fieldwork in Northern Norway and took the opportunity to dip into the Norwegian Sea
🧊🥲 Unsurprising it was so cold
🔆 Also the sun never sets so we have 24 hours of sunlight
🎉 Happy #Midsummer!
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🧀 alert ! The top photo was when I was just awarded my early career National Geographic grant.
The bottom photo is exactly a year later on the first plastic expedition in India 🇮🇳. I am unbelievably proud of our team and have to pinch myself it’s a reality. Creating solutions 💪
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Excited to be involved with a new announcement with @GarnierUK and @NatGeo 🍃 Yesterday we announced the news at the @expo2020dubai 🇦🇪
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First time doing voice over for a @InsideNatGeo research video🎤 Excited to share the video soon!
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To all the scientists, environmentalists and pals who just love the ocean - Happy World Ocean Day! 💕 🌊#WorldOceansDay
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The sunset over the Himalayas on the last day of sampling for @InsideNatGeo #expeditionplastic was pretty special 🌅 #planetorplastic
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🧭5️⃣0️⃣ It is an absolute dream to join The @ExplorersClub 50!
Each year, The Explorers Club recognises fifty people who are focussing on work to promote science and exploration
It is such an honour to join the 2024 class following so many explorers I admire
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📚✨Eep I’m a contributor to a book
✌️The book is aimed at how we can make simple lifestyle changes that can offer tangible solutions to protect the planet
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Delighted to present my washing machine research at #MICRO2018 👕Our research at @PlymUni found up to 700,000 #plastic fibres could come off our clothes from a typical clothes wash!
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🎢 My first time at a COP and it was quite the ride
Feeling incredibly fortunate to be able to go the event and learn/listen/participate in discussions on how we can work towards a more sustainable future
However, it was also a big eye opener… (🧵)
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Today is Armed Forces Day ⚓️ I joined the @RNReserve 5 years ago and haven’t looked back!
I’ve met some incredible people and have some great memories. Here’s to another 5 years! 👏
#ArmedForcesDay2020
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The last few weeks I’ve been leading a volunteer team at an overflow mortuary at RAF Henlow for #COVID . The team, from volunteers to local council leads, were incredible. At times it has been pretty intense, but it showed us the meaning of appreciating everyday. #stayathome
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🤿 🎉 Passed the level 2 AIDA free diving qualification
⏱It’s actually pretty wild how long people can hold their breath
🙏 Cheers to our legend instructors for pushing us
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⛰ We have just started our hike to the source of the Ganges! It has been a long journey travelling from where the river meets the ocean in Bangladesh 🇧🇩 all the way through to the Himalayas in India 🇮🇳 Bring on the trek! #ExpeditionPlastic
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Today at the International Microplastic Training Workshop we learnt how to extract #microplastic from different environmental samples. I found 3 plastic fibers in the guts of 1 anchovy 🐟 ☹️
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Proud to join other reservists from @HMSVIVID at Devonport Park in Plymouth on #RemembranceSunday
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🥤🌊 How can individual actions help the plastic pollution problem?
🙋♀️🙋♂️ Chatting with @nowthisnews for @InsideNatGeo we broke down how we can all have an impact
💡 Additionally, industry and governments need to prioritise environmental issues
⬇️ Take a look
@PlymUni
'Plastic detective’ and National Geographic Explorer Imogen Napper investigated all the ways plastic made it into the air, water, and sediment — and the results might surprise you
(with @InsideNatGeo)
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🩸 Did you know that plastic has now been found in our blood?
@CommonSeas are calling for the UK gov’t to fund urgent research on how plastic impacts human health
✍️ However, the petition’s about to reach 100K signatures, but needs a final push, please share & sign your name!
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We have arrived in Bangladesh and boarded our new home. It is the boat in the background, R.V Dinghy! This will transport us up the Ganges into India ⚓️ #ExpeditionPlastic
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We have seen so much wildlife while travelling up the Ganges. From river dolphins to peacocks 🦚 Plus, how much better does a classic binocular photo look with henna? ✌️ #expeditionplastic
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Tune into @bbc1 today to see @ProfRThompson, @SteveBrownGBWR and me on #blueplanetlive discussing how plastic fibres from our clothes could be entering our ocean when washed 👚👕
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Sharing the stage with a bunch of inspiring explorers and educators at the #NatGeoEdSummit has shown how important our partnership is. We explore together to learn and share more about the world 🌎
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The amount of #plastic we use is increasing at an unsustainable rate 📈. With no waste management in place, people often burn waste or discard it into a river. Together, we need to think of how to manage and minimise the waste we create #expeditionplastic @InsideNatGeo
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Travelling down by boat to where the Ganges meets the ocean #expeditionplastic @InsideNatGeo nitter.app/Imogennapper/status/11…
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