GoKawiilOIST researchers identify new plastic-coral hybrid debris in Okinawa, dub it 'plasticorals'
Scientists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology and the University of the Ryukyus found coral rubble on Okinawa's beaches containing melted plastic fused into its skeletal pores. Lab analysis using spectroscopy and microscopy confirmed the colored specks were polymers from everyday household plastics, not natural material. The team, led by Dr. Ifenna Ilechukwu and Professor James D. Reimer, published their findings in Marine Pollution Bulletin, naming the material 'plasticorals,' a form of plastiglomerate.