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Microplastics in a tropical Andean Glacier: A transportation process across the Amazon basin?
The Science of The Total Environment2021
54 citations
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Score: 45
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Marcela Cabrera,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Oscar Lucas-Solis,
Ayda Sakali,
Ayda Sakali,
Ayda Sakali,
Ayda Sakali,
Marcela Cabrera,
Marcela Cabrera,
Gemma Albendín,
Gemma Albendín,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Marcela Cabrera,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Marcela Cabrera,
Gemma Albendín,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Gemma Albendín,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Marcela Cabrera,
Bryan G. Valencia,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gemma Albendín,
Gemma Albendín,
Bryan G. Valencia,
Oscar Lucas-Solis,
Oscar Lucas-Solis,
Oscar Lucas-Solis,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Gemma Albendín,
Gemma Albendín,
Gemma Albendín,
Oscar Lucas-Solis,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gemma Albendín,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gemma Albendín,
Gemma Albendín,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gemma Albendín,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Bruno Conicelli,
Bruno Conicelli,
Luis Maisincho,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Gemma Albendín,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Luis Maisincho,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gemma Albendín,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gemma Albendín,
Gemma Albendín,
Gemma Albendín,
Marcela Cabrera,
Marcela Cabrera,
Marcela Cabrera,
Bruno Conicelli,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Ayda Sakali,
Marcela Cabrera,
Marcela Cabrera,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Oscar Lucas-Solis,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Luis Maisincho,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Bruno Conicelli,
Rocío Rodríguez-Barroso,
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Bruno Conicelli,
Marcela Cabrera,
Bryan G. Valencia,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Mariana V. Capparelli,
Gabriel M. Moulatlet
Summary
Microplastics were detected in an Andean glacier in Peru at high altitude, with atmospheric deposition from Amazonian cities identified as a likely transport pathway, expanding evidence that glacier cryospheres across South America are vulnerable to plastic contamination and may release stored particles as they melt.
Microplastic (MPs) contamination is ubiquitous in most terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Recently MPs have been reported at high altitudes which indicates that air masses can transport and deposit MPs in the surface snow of high mountain ecosystems, however, whether MPs typification and abundance can be influenced by direction and origin of air masses still remains an open question. Here we present the first report of MPs above 5000 m a.s.l from surface snow of a glacier in the tropical Andes. We collected surface snow along an elevational gradient, from 5000 to 5400 m a.s.l., in the Antisana Glacier, in the northern Andes cordillera of Ecuador to analyze MPs abundance and polymeric identification with the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and also to hypothesized the possible MPs sources in this remote area by comparing the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopic ratio composition of the snow samples and by analyzing the wind direction. We observed an average of 131 ± 24 MPs L in our samples. Fibers corresponded to 70% of all MP shapes; FTIR results showed that MPs composition mainly included polyurethane, polyethylene, polyamide, polyester, and high-density polyethylene in surface snow. There were no statistically significant differences of MPs abundance among sampled elevations, and the isotopic ratio composition did not differ among locations. Our results suggest that MP that accumulated in the glacier may be transported from the east, across the Amazonia, by the prevalent eastward air flow. The absence of industrial cities at least 2000 km further east from Antisana, indicates that the remote Andean glaciers could constitute important depositional zones for long-distance transported contaminants.