We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Macroplastics beached on Ardley Island (KGI) shores: an ASPA located in one of the most important logistic and tourist hubs for the Antarctic Peninsula area
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers surveyed plastic debris on Ardley Island, an Antarctic protected area and major logistics hub, finding over 700 plastic items at 340 sampling points between 2017 and 2022. Macroplastics — large enough to see with the naked eye — are an important but overlooked source of microplastics as they break down over time. Even Antarctica's most protected coastal zones are accumulating plastic pollution carried by ocean currents from distant human activities.
Marine debris pollution, especially plastic litter, is an evident and recognized global threat. Plastic debris has been found in remote and uninhabited areas, such as the Antarctic Treaty Area, including their Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs). Although micro- and nanoplastics have recently gained prominence due to their potential impacts on Antarctic marine ecosystems, the relevance of macroplastic litter as a source of micro-debris should not be overlooked. Our objective was to evaluate the density, composition, distribution, and accumulation rates of macroplastic debris on the coasts of Ardley Island. This island is one of the two ASPAs declared in the Fildes Region (King George Island, South Shetland Islands), one of the most important logistic and touristic hubs for the Antarctic Peninsula area. Based on transect surveys along the coast (10 m width/person), each sampling point was defined by the presence of at least one plastic debris on a 5 m radius surface. Plastic debris were counted, measured, weighted, and classified according to CCAMLR marine debris criteria. Accumulation rates were analysed on two opposite sides of the island, and the polymer composition was determined for the main CCAMLR debris sub-categories using ATR-FTIR. More than 700 debris were obtained from 340 sampling points on Ardley Island from 2017 to 2022. Since the sampling effort (m2 covered) differed among the 6 years, a standardized mean density was estimated for the island. Medium-sized debris (2.5 cm to 10 cm) were the most abundant, with Styrofoam, Polyurethane Foam, and Fragments (in CCAMLR's Other Plastics sub-category) as the predominant sub-categories. These results, included in the CCAMLR Marine Debris database, seek to contribute to the monitoring and management of plastic debris in the Fildes Peninsula area. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427414/document
More Papers Like This
Macroplastics at sea around Antarctica
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted the first coordinated survey of macroplastic debris at sea around Antarctica during the 2007/08 austral summer, documenting the presence of plastic items in Antarctic waters despite the region's remoteness from major population centers. The findings demonstrate that plastic pollution has reached even the most isolated ocean environments and highlight the role of ocean circulation in transporting debris to polar regions.
Surface waters meso- and micro-litter around the Western Antarctic Peninsula: Are the South Shetland Islands a pollution hotspot?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers surveyed meso- and micro-litter in surface waters around the Western Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands across two summer seasons, providing one of the broadest assessments of marine debris in Antarctica. Even this remote polar region showed widespread plastic contamination, with fragments and lines dominating the debris found.
Assessment of plastic debris and biofouling in a specially protected area of the Antarctic Peninsula region
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers surveyed plastic debris on shores of an Antarctic Specially Protected Area, finding 730 items with 85% being plastic, dominated by polystyrene and PET, and noting that biofouling occurred on 25% of debris, indicating that even heavily protected environments are not immune to marine plastic pollution.
Floating macro- and microplastics around the Southern Ocean: Results from the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers surveyed floating macro- and microplastic pollution around the Southern Ocean islands, providing baseline abundance estimates for high southern latitudes. The data reveal that plastic contamination extends even to remote polar regions, with seabirds in the area confirmed to have been ingesting plastics since at least the 1960s.
Microplastics in collins bay: establishing the foundation for a monitoring program in king george island, antarctica
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in Collins Bay, King George Island, Antarctica, to establish baseline data and lay the foundation for a long-term environmental monitoring program in this remote polar region.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.