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Distribution characteristics of microplastics in surface and subsurface Antarctic seawater
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Researchers characterized microplastic distribution in both surface and subsurface Antarctic seawater, finding plastic contamination present at multiple depths and dominated by fibers and fragments, highlighting that even remote polar waters are affected by plastic pollution.
Microplastics have attracted worldwide attention due to their potential threat to the marine ecosystem, with such pollutants even detected in the polar seas. Although in-depth research on microplastics has increased in recent years, studies in Antarctic waters remain relatively scarce compared with coastal waters and open oceans. In this study, microplastics in surface and subsurface Antarctic waters were investigated. The average microplastic abundance in the surface water was 0.10 ± 0.14 items/m, with highest abundance in the Ross Sea, and the average microplastic abundance in the subsurface water was 1.66 ± 1.20 items/m, with highest abundance in the Dumont d'Urville Sea. Polyester was the main microplastic in the surface waters (87.3%), while polypropylene (33.1%), polyester (28.7%), and polyethylene (22.8%) were the dominant microplastics in the subsurface waters. Results indicate that microplastic pollution in Antarctic waters may come from the Antarctic continent as well as southward transport from the ocean at mid- and low latitudes.
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Researchers examined microplastic contamination in 15 species of Antarctic fish and Antarctic krill collected near the Antarctic Peninsula. They found microplastics in all species studied, with fish accumulating significantly more particles than krill, and fibers being the most common type. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution has reached even the most remote marine ecosystems on Earth.
High Abundances of Microplastic Pollution in Deep-Sea Sediments: Evidence from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
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Microplastic pollution was investigated in deep-sea sediments from Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions, finding high abundances that varied among sites. The study confirmed that microplastics are accumulating in the remote Antarctic deep-sea environment, with evidence going back to scientific literature from the 1980s that has accelerated in recent years.
Plastic occurrence, sources, and impacts in Antarctic environment and biota
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Researchers reviewed evidence of plastic pollution in Antarctica, finding microplastics — mostly fibers — in sea ice, ocean water, sediments, and both marine and land animals, raising concern that even the most remote ecosystems on Earth are contaminated and that biodiversity and ecosystem functions may be at risk.
Microplastics in Arctic polar waters: the first reported values of particles in surface and sub-surface samples
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Researchers reported some of the first measured values for microplastic particles in Arctic polar waters, finding contamination even in these remote high-latitude waters and raising questions about long-range transport mechanisms.
Microplastics in the Southern Ocean: Findings from the Continuous Plankton Recorder in the Ross Sea and the East Antarctic Regions
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This study found microplastics widely distributed in surface waters of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, collected via continuous plankton recorder samples. The detection of plastics in these remote polar waters confirms that microplastic contamination has reached essentially every corner of the global ocean.
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.