We are delighted to announce that Lucy Woodall has taken a leadership role in the new DOSI working group on pollution and debris in the deep sea. This group aims to 1) improve public understanding of and promote research into the patterns, impacts and relative risk of pollution and debris in the deep sea, 2) advocate for the consideration of deep-sea science in policy development and conservation initiatives, augmenting work already being done in shallow waters, 3) provide expert opinion on pollution and debris concerns through written responses, workshops, and engagement with pollution and debris-focused groups.
Lucy Woodall Biography
Lucy’s research seeks to understand the impacts of humans on the marine environment and explore the mechanisms and processes that drive biodiversity in this biome. Working on deep sea and coastal systems, she has explored many challenges of ecosystem management. The work she led on deep-sea communities and the consequences of marine litter and microplastics, addresses the immediate challenges of anthropogenic debris, and elucidates ocean-scale patterns of diversity in this under-explored environment. She has published a number of papers on microplastics and marine litter and is actively involved in consultations and marine litter research. Her microplastics research was the first to reveal the ubiquity of this pollutant in the deep sea which led to further work on marine debris in our most remote oceans. She works with Common Seas on plastic waste minimisation initiative Plastic Drawdown and co-authored the recent High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy blue paper on pollution. Alongside her work on marine plastics, Lucy is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and Principal Scientist with Nekton Foundation. She also sits on the IUCN SSC for seahorses, pipefish and seadragons provides expert evidence for the conservation efforts of these taxa.
Visit the Pollution & Debris working group page
View Lucy’s profile at the University of Oxford
Follow Lucy on Twitter