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Citizen science in studying the microplastic pollution of the Russian Arctic
Summary
Researchers conducted a long-term citizen science study (2020-2022) on microplastic pollution across Russian Arctic seas, presenting methodological approaches for sample collection and laboratory isolation of microplastic particles from environmental samples. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of collaboration between public organisations and scientific institutes, and identified the role of the North Cape Current in transporting microplastics from the North Atlantic into the Russian Barents Sea.
Abstract The article presents a long-term study (2020–2022) on microplastic pollution in the seas of the Russian Arctic using the citizen science method. Methodological approaches to sample collection and their laboratory processing for isolating microplastic particles from environmental samples are presented, as well as some results of studying the role of the North Cape Current in microplastics transfer from the North Atlantic region to the Russian part of the Barents Sea. The joint cooperation between public organizations and scientific institutes is shown to be effective in providing science-based methodological approaches to volunteers conducting research in hard-toreach regions of the Arctic. The published guidelines and educational materials are publicly available to everyone interested in using them in future research.