Irina Sudarikova

MSc Candidate

I am pursuing my passion in Environmental Science studies as a post-graduate student, and have been lucky enough to be given the opportunity to work on a project that combines my love of animal welfare and the ocean!

The aim of my research is to build up a dataset of concentrations for a suite of elements found in different coloured polyethylene and polypropylene plastic lids, which can clue us in to what harmful elements may be entering the environment from plastic litter. This is especially relevant for biological receptors which are exposed to large quantities of plastics, such as the Lord Howe Island Sable Shearwaters (Ardenna carneipes).

I will also be exploring changes in elemental make-up of the Sable Shearwater bones and fathers, to get a better grasp on the impact plastic-associated contaminates have on these wonderful, threatened birds.