Investigating the mysterious arrival of oil-contaminated debris washing ashore in Southeast Florida

In June 2020, Southeast Florida beach clean-up groups noticed large amounts of trash covered in a black, oily residue. Social media called it “TarTrash” with hashtags like #COVEREDINTRASH, #TARCOVERED, and #TOXICTRASH. Since no nearby oil spills were reported, the source remained a mystery until oceanographers and chemists traced the oil back to a 2019 spill in Brazil.

Don’t miss the chance to hear chemical oceanographer Chris Reddy explain how he led a team of scientists to solve this mystery and what it reveals about the threats of plastic pollution to the ocean.

Event Details:
Date: Monday, April 13, 2026
Time: 5:00-6:30 PM
Location: Room 507 of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Clark building – 360 Woods Hole Rd, Woods Hole, MA 02543

The agenda is:
5:00PM: Registration, light refreshments and enjoying the panoramic view
5:30PM: Talk, followed by question period
6:30PM: Adjourn

If there is enough interest, we can gather afterwards for a no-host dinner at a local restaurant.

Please find the driving Map to the venue here. For driving instructions, please check out this website.

Event Questions? Contact Ken Brink