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Tier 2
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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
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Plastic litter in the European Arctic: What do we know?
Emerging contaminants2019
109 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 40
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Researchers reviewed available evidence on plastic litter in the European Arctic, finding that despite limited data, microplastics are present in every environmental compartment — including sea ice — and are being transported to this remote region from distant sources via ocean currents and wind.
Despite an exponential increase in available data on marine plastic debris globally, information on levels and trends of plastic pollution and especially microplastics in the Arctic remains scarce. The few available peer-reviewed scientific works, however, point to a ubiquitous distribution of plastic particles in all environmental compartments, including sea ice. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on the sources, distribution, transport pathways and fate of meso- and microplastics with a focus on the European Arctic and discuss observed and projected impacts on biota and ecosystems.