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Litter and Microplastics: Environmental monitoring in the Arctic
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This study describes a monitoring program for plastic litter and microplastics in Arctic environments, combining beach surveys with water sampling across Norwegian Arctic sites. Even in remote polar regions far from major population centers, significant and increasing plastic pollution was found, highlighting the global reach of this environmental problem.
While the Arctic Ecosystem is already stressed by the effects of the climate crisis, another threat is emerging: plastics. Plastic pollution has become an environmental issue of the highest concern world-wide, and the plastic pollution tide is also rising in the Arctic.The pristine Arctic environments, far from most of the world’s major industrial areas, are becoming laden with plastic pollution. Microplastics have been found in Arctic snow, sea-ice, seawater, in sediments collected on the ocean floor, and on Arctic beaches. Larger pieces of plastic debris are also making their way into the food webs as whales, fish and birds can ingest them or get entangled in them. Climate change is expected to exacerbate the amount of debris in the Arctic, via melting sea-ice and increasing contributions from human activities.The Artic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) is a Working Group of the Arctic Council. AMAP has a mandate to monitor and assess the status and trends of contaminants in the Arctic. In the Spring of 2019, AMAP decided to step up its efforts on the plastic issue and established an Expert Group on microplastics and litter with experts from Artic Council States and Observer countries.The Expert Group has developed a comprehensive monitoring plan and technical guidelines for monitoring microplastics and litter in the Arctic. It will be the first time that all parts of the Arctic ecosystem are examined for traces of this type of pollution. The Expert Group aims to:Design a program for the monitoring of microplastics and litter in the Arctic environment. Develop necessary guidelines supporting the monitoring program. Formulate recommendations and identify areas where new research and development is necessary from an Arctic perspective.
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Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in the remote Rijpfjorden fjord in Northern Svalbard, sampling both surface water and the water column down to 200 m, and found widespread microplastic presence even in this Arctic environment far from major pollution sources.
Occurrence and sources of microplastics on Arctic beaches: Svalbard
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Researchers sampled four beach sites near Longyearbyen, Svalbard, to assess microplastic contamination in the Arctic. They found microplastics at all sites, with higher concentrations closer to human settlements and wastewater discharge points. The study suggests that even remote Arctic beaches are receiving microplastic pollution, primarily from local sources rather than long-range ocean transport.
Estimation of plastic waste accumulation in the Arctic
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Researchers analyzed sources, spatial distribution patterns, and mass transfer dynamics of plastic and microplastic pollution in the Arctic, proposing plastic waste management approaches and a community-based monitoring program to track microplastic accumulation across Arctic regions.
Assessment of Prevalence and Heterogeneity of Meso- and Microplastic Pollution in Icelandic Waters
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Surface water sampling around Iceland found mesoplastics and microplastics at all six coastal sites, with nearshore locations near populated areas showing higher concentrations, suggesting local human activity contributes to plastic pollution even in remote subarctic waters.
Marine Microplastics in Polar Region—a Spitsbergen Case Study
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Researchers detected both primary and secondary microplastics in waters around Svalbard (Spitsbergen) in the Arctic during a 2017 expedition. The findings confirm that microplastic pollution has reached even remote polar regions, raising concerns about contamination of Arctic ecosystems.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.