Trash and Microplastics

McLaughlin State Park floods with salty sea water as welll as tons of visible and invisible pollutants as the tide creeps over the mudflats twice a day. Not only does the Bay carry in a portion of the trash that litters the premise, but the highway and creeks like Temescal also adds to much of the food containers, plastic bags, and other non-biodegradable trash witnessed here along the shoreline. What you see may be unsightly, however the real danger for the Bay and Salt Marsh ecosystem lies in what happens once this litter breaks down into microplastics. As of 2019, San Francisco Bay has among the highest levels of microplastics in its depths, subject to ingestion by smaller marine organisms before being worked up the food chain affecting all life. The same principle is true for the future of trash on the mudflats, endangering the lives of the few precious species remaining. Consistent clean ups are an important aspect of citizen conservation work, removing trash before it can break down to become ingested by the crabs and oysters that support bird populations. Reducing trash on streets that becomes stormwater litter drains into the Bay will also reduce microplastic levels by a factor of 300.