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Water column circulation drives microplastic distribution in the Martínez-Baker channels; A large fjord ecosystem in Chilean Patagonia
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This study detected microplastics throughout the water column in a remote fjord system in Chilean Patagonia, finding particles at all depths despite the area's distance from population centers. The results confirm that ocean circulation transports microplastics into even the most remote South American coastal systems.
We investigated the distribution of microplastics in the water column along a large remote estuarine system located between the Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Fields in Chilean Patagonia, and connected with the Pacific Ocean through the Gulf of Penas. Microplastic particles were found in all samples, with abundances ranging from 0.1 to 7 particles/m. Polymers identified were principally acrylics, PET, and cellophane. The average abundance of microplastics in surface waters was similar along the whole estuary (0.4 ± 0.3 particles/m) with acrylics and epoxy resins being more abundant near Caleta Tortel, the only small village in the area. The observed higher abundance of microplastics in the deeper waters towards the Gulf of Penas points to intrusions of subsurface waters transporting plastic particles from the ocean into the channel system. This underlines the potential of ocean currents in transporting plastic pollution into pristine fjords and channels in Chilean Patagonia.
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Microplastics were found throughout a remote Patagonian fjord system in Chile — in surface water, beach sand, bottom sediments, and zooplankton — despite the near-absence of local human activity. The dominant contaminant was polyester fiber (about 60% of particles), pointing to distant oceanic sources rather than local runoff, with ocean currents transporting pollution from heavily populated regions. This finding shows that no marine environment is truly pristine anymore, and that even the most isolated ecosystems are vulnerable to plastic pollution carried by global ocean circulation.
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This study examined the spatial distribution of microplastics in coastal waters of the Humboldt Current System along the Chilean coast, finding that offshore transport driven by upwelling dispersed microplastics away from urban sources. The results suggest that Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems play a distinct role in distributing coastal microplastic pollution.
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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.