A pilot study by the San Francisco Estuary Institute captures plastic particles in the Bay that are 10 times smaller than measured before, the width of a human hair. These smaller microplastics may account for the vast majority of those present in the water. The study could inform broader research on plastics and human health, coastal ecosystems and the ability of the sea to trap carbon from the earth’s atmosphere. … [SFEI spokesperson Sierra] Garcia said a statewide plastics monitoring project will begin this summer under the California Ocean Protection Council. … Microplastics have flowed through the Golden Gate and entered the base of the food chain in the Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Other Bay-Delta news:

• Martinez Tribune (Calif.): The birds of Hoover Ranch are coming out to play