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Imagine you're standing at the edge of Crown Beach. The waves are calm. The sky is blue. Everything looks clean and peaceful.
But beneath the surface, a plastic problem is growing—and it’s so small, you might not even notice.
These tiny troublemakers are called microplastics, and they’re showing up everywhere: in our Bay, in the ocean, in animals, and even in us.
Let’s dive in to learn where they come from, why they matter, and what you can do to help protect the Bay and the sea beyond.
What Are Microplastics?
What Are Microplastics?
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that are smaller than a sprinkle. They can be hard to see, but they are all around us.
Some microplastics come from larger plastic items, like bottles, bags, wrappers, and straws. Sunlight, wind, and waves slowly break these items into smaller and smaller pieces, but the plastic never fully disappears.
Other microplastics come from everyday things we may not expect. Clothes made from fleece or polyester can release tiny fibers in the wash, and car tires can leave behind plastic dust on roads. Glitter, balloons, packaging, and even sneakers can shed plastic too. These tiny pieces can travel through drains and pipes and eventually end up in the Bay.
How Do Microplastics Get Into the Water?
How Do Microplastics Get Into the Water?
In Alameda, one of the biggest ways microplastics reach the water is through storm drains. When it rains, or when someone washes a car or hoses down a sidewalk, the water carries dirt, litter, and tiny pieces of plastic into the grates along the street.
Storm drains usually do not filter or clean this water. Instead, it can flow straight into the Bay. Snack wrappers, glitter, balloon pieces, tire dust, and other plastics left on the ground may be washed into the water without us even realizing it.
Why Are Microplastics a Big Deal for the Bay?
Why Are Microplastics a Big Deal for the Bay?
Microplastics may be tiny, but they can cause big problems for the Bay. Small water animals, fish, crabs, mussels, and seabirds may mistake these plastic pieces for plankton, fish eggs, or other food. Even zooplankton, some of the smallest animals in the water, can swallow microplastics by accident.
Microplastics may be tiny, but they can cause big problems for the Bay. Small water animals, fish, crabs, mussels, and seabirds may mistake these plastic pieces for plankton, fish eggs, or other food. Even zooplankton, some of the smallest animals in the water, can swallow microplastics by accident.
Plastic does not give animals the nutrients they need. When plastic fills an animal’s stomach, it may feel full and stop eating real food. This can make the animal weak, slow its growth, or make it harder to survive. Some microplastics can also carry harmful chemicals. When one animal eats plastic and another animal eats that animal, the plastic and chemicals may move through the food chain.
People are part of that food chain too. Scientists have found microplastics in seafood, drinking water, rain, snow, and parts of the human body, including the lungs and blood. Scientists are still studying exactly how microplastics affect human health, but their discovery in so many places shows that plastic pollution is not only a Bay problem. It is a worldwide problem.
Microplastics have also been found throughout the San Francisco Bay, including in mussels, anchovies, shoreline mud, and eelgrass habitats. This matters here in Alameda because eelgrass beds, beaches, and places such as Crab Cove provide food and shelter for many living things. Keeping plastic out of storm drains helps protect the entire Bay ecosystem.
Studies have found that San Francisco Bay contains higher levels of microplastic pollution than many other waterways studied around North America (source). That’s how serious it is!
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