This book presents information on the origin and distribution of microplastics, evaluates the methods of their detection, documents their interactions with natural systems, and analyzes the current understanding of their management. Owing to the size, varied compositions, pathways of transport, accumulation and myriad processes of interactions with ecosystems, the microplastics pose severe threats to ecosystem services and natural environmental systems. Therefore, the environmental challenges that microplastics present and the strategies to mitigate their harmful impacts are of great importance to the scientific community, and only a few publications exist that collate this information in a single resource. The book aims to be a comprehensive resource for students, professionals and practitioners of environmental studies on microplastics and how to better understand the threats they pose and the practices to manage them.

Auteur

Dr.Mu.Ramkumar, had completed his B.Sc. (Geology) from the National College, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, M.Sc. (Geology) from the Annamalai University, Chidambaram, and Ph.D (Earth Sciences) from the Bharathidasan University. Since completion of his PhD, he has worked in many roles including research team leader and member in national international labs in India, Germany, Malaysia, France, China, etc. He was the recipient of the Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowship, Visiting Scientist (thrice), Germany, Visiting Professor (France), Young Scientist (twice), Government of India, Best paper award (Geoscience Frontiers, Elsevier), and was included in the Marquee's Who's Who directory (USA) for 5 consecutive years. He is a member in review and editorial panels of about two dozen international geological journals. His research interests range from Recent-Paleozoic depositional systems and integrated sequence-chemostratigraphy,basin and landscape evolution, source-sink dynamics, extreme climatic events and geoarchaeology. He has published about 150 articles in national and international journals, edited volumes and conference proceedings. He is the author of 4 books (Cretaceous Sea Level Cycles, Marine Paleobiodiversity, Paleohabitat heterogeneity, etc.) and editor of 7 special volumes (Chemostratigraphy, Coastal zone management, River basin ecosystem, etc) published by Elsevier, Springer, and AGU/Wiley and edited two thematic issues of the Geological journal (Wiley) and Energy Geoscience (Elsevier). Two of the special volumes published by Springer have found place in top 25% of most downloaded books/book chapters and the special volume published by Wiley was the recipient of Prose Award. He is a member of National Working Group on IGCP-609 Cretaceous Sea Level Cycles. Currently, he is the Executive Editor of Geological Journal (Wiley) and Associate Editor of Energy Geoscience (Elsevier).