Comparison of Atmospheric Microplastic in remote and urban locations in Norway; occurrence, composition and sources

Ocean currents originating in the south of Europe have been proposed to function as major transport routes of microplastics from the more densely populated southern areas in Europe to the Arctic. However, given the limited empirical data and lack of harmonized methodologies for sample collection, little is known about the role urban sites play as emission sources. Here we present the outcomes of a study applying passive and active air-samplers for wet and dry deposition on two remote monitoring stations, Ny Ålesund (Svalbard) in the High Norwegian Arctic, and at Birkenes in mainland Norway in 2022 and 2023. We complement the results with samples collected in three Norwegian cities (Tromsø, Trondheim and Oslo). Rubber from car tires and Nylon dominated most samples, followed by Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and PVC. While Styren-butadien rubber (SBR) and Nylon dominate in the Norwegian mainland samples, contribute almost every of the measured polymers to the samples from Zeppelin station, Svalbard. MP concentrations in deposition samples were more than 10-times higher than in active samples, and remote samples were lower than samples from the urban sites. The prevalence of SBR in most samples, indicates the important role TWP play in the overall inventory of atmospheric microplastic. Seasonal variations could be observed at all sites as well, with increasing microplastic concentrations found in the fall. Results will be further analysed with respect to their spatial origin and long-range transport using the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559366/document