Spectroscopy recently sat down with Elise Granek, Susanne Brander, and Summer Traylor to discuss their recent study quantifying microplastics (MPs) and anthropogenic particles (APs) in the edible tissues of black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp.
Microplastics and anthropogenic particles are ubiquitous in the environment. The presence of these contaminants can pose challenges to ecosystems and the creatures that live there. A recent study published in Frontiers in Toxicology explored this topic, focusing specifically on marine and aquatic environments (1). This study was conducted by Elise Granek, Susanne Brander, Summer Traylor, and Marilyn Duncan. Recently, three of the authors sat down with Spectroscopy to discuss their research.
The team quantified anthropogenic particles (APs) in the edible tissues of black rockfish, lingcod, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, Pacific lamprey, and pink shrimp, comparing contamination across trophic levels and between vessel-retrieved and retail-purchased samples.
The lead investigator of the overarching project, Elise Granek, is a Professor at Portland State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Zoology/Marine Ecology from Oregon State University and her MESc in Forest Ecology from Yale University (2). She runs the Applied Coastal Ecology Lab, and her research group examines the effects of emerging contaminants on marine ecosystems and species (2). Granek also serves on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee to Oregon's Ocean Policy Advisory Committee, on the Steering Committee for Oregon’s Coastal and Ocean Information Network, as an Associate Editor of Limnology and Oceanography Letters, as a member of the Pacific Northwest Consortium on Plastics, and teaches courses on coastal ecology, environmental contaminants, and science communication (2).
Susanne Brander is an Associate Professor at Oregon State University. She earned her MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and her Ph.D. in Toxicology from University of California, Davis (3). Her group integrates the responses of organisms to micro and nanoplastics, microfibers, and other environmental stressors across the biological hierarchy (3). She co-leads the Pacific Northwest Consortium on Plastics, serves on microplastics working groups for the State of California, and is currently a member of the steering committee for the Scientists Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, which is under ongoing negotiations at the United Nations Environment Programme.
Summer Traylor serves as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps Officer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aboard NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, an oceanographic research vessel. NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter conducts marine mammal surveys and collects plankton and microplastic abundance data. Traylor earned her bachelor's degree in environmental science from University of California, Santa Cruz and her Masters of Environmental Science and Management from Portland State University.
In this interview, Granek, Brander, and Traylor address the following questions:
New Study Explores Micro-Raman and FT-IR Analysis of Early Human Tools
June 16th 2025Researchers from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the University of Padua have uncovered the earliest direct evidence of Upper Palaeolithic humans deliberately processing the non-edible plant Isatis tinctoria, revealing complex behaviors involving medicinal or dye-related plant use over 32,000 years ago.
Short Tutorial: Complex-Valued Chemometrics for Composition Analysis
June 16th 2025In this tutorial, Thomas G. Mayerhöfer and Jürgen Popp introduce complex-valued chemometrics as a more physically grounded alternative to traditional intensity-based spectroscopy measurement methods. By incorporating both the real and imaginary parts of the complex refractive index of a sample, this approach preserves phase information and improves linearity with sample analyte concentration. The result is more robust and interpretable multivariate models, especially in systems affected by nonlinear effects or strong solvent and analyte interactions.
New Machine Learning Model Distinguishes Recycled PET with 10% Accuracy Threshold
June 9th 2025Researchers from Jinan University and Guangzhou Customs Technology Center have developed a cost-effective UV-vis spectroscopy and machine learning method to accurately identify recycled PET content as low as 10%, advancing sustainable packaging and circular economy efforts.