Jambeck to co-lead National Geographic’s Ganges expedition

University of Georgia College of Engineering researcher Jenna Jambeck will help lead an international, all-female expedition team that will study plastic pollution in one of the world’s most iconic waterways — the Ganges River (known locally as Ganga and Padma).

The “Sea to Source: Ganges” river expedition, in partnership with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the University of Dhaka and WildTeam, is part of National Geographic’s journey to better understand and document how plastic waste travels from source to sea and to fill critical knowledge gaps around plastic flow, load and composition. The expedition will offer an unprecedented and unique opportunity to scientifically document plastic waste in a watershed and develop holistic and inclusive solutions.

“I am so excited to co-lead this expedition along with an amazing international team of incredible researchers in one of the most iconic rivers on the planet,” said Jambeck, a professor of environmental engineering who leads the New Material Institute’s Center for Circular Materials Management. Jambeck is also a National Geographic Fellow. “Working hand-in-hand with local communities, from the Bay of Bengal to the Himalayas, we will explore waste, plastic, its flow through and potential impact on this important ecosystem.”

Two of Jambeck’s graduate students are also members of the research team.