Article
?
AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button.
Tier 2
?
Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Environmental Sources
Marine & Wildlife
Sign in to save
Abundance and distribution of microplastics in the surface sediments from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas
Environmental Pollution2018
196 citations
?
Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 45
?
0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Chao Fang,
Weiwei Zhang,
Weiwei Zhang,
Cheng Huo,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Yi Cong,
Yi Cong,
Juying Wang
Yi Cong,
Yi Cong,
Yi Cong,
Yi Cong,
Cheng Huo,
Chao Fang,
Chao Fang,
Chao Fang,
Chao Fang,
Jingli Mu,
Jingli Mu,
Weiwei Zhang,
Chao Fang,
Chao Fang,
Xindong Ma,
Weiwei Zhang,
Chao Fang,
Ling Qu,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Weiwei Zhang,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Fei Jin,
Fei Jin,
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Yi Cong,
Ling Qu,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Ling Qu,
Yi Cong,
Fei Jin,
Fei Jin,
Juying Wang
Weiwei Zhang,
Jingli Mu,
Chao Fang,
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Yi Cong,
Yi Cong,
Weiwei Zhang,
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Juying Wang
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Fei Jin,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Juying Wang
Ling Qu,
Fei Jin,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Ling Qu,
Ling Qu,
Chao Fang,
Jingli Mu,
Jingli Mu,
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Yi Cong,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Cheng Huo,
Jingli Mu,
Ling Qu,
Jingli Mu,
Jingli Mu,
Ling Qu,
Chao Fang,
Ling Qu,
Chao Fang,
Chao Fang,
Cheng Huo,
Ling Qu,
Yi Cong,
Ling Qu,
Jingli Mu,
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Fei Jin,
Cheng Huo,
Xindong Ma,
Jingli Mu,
Cheng Huo,
Xindong Ma,
Xindong Ma,
Yi Cong,
Yi Cong,
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Fei Jin,
Jingli Mu,
Weiwei Zhang,
Weiwei Zhang,
Chao Fang,
Fei Jin,
Weiwei Zhang,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Cheng Huo,
Yi Cong,
Jingli Mu,
Jingli Mu,
Jingli Mu,
Cheng Huo,
Yi Cong,
Fei Jin,
Jingli Mu,
Fei Jin,
Jingli Mu,
Yi Cong,
Yi Cong,
Shoufeng Zhang,
Jingli Mu,
Yi Cong,
Chao Fang,
Chao Fang,
Yi Cong,
Juying Wang
Jingli Mu,
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Weiwei Zhang,
Jingli Mu,
Weiwei Zhang,
Jingli Mu,
Juying Wang
Juying Wang
Jingli Mu,
Juying Wang
Xindong Ma,
Jingli Mu,
Jingli Mu,
Weiwei Zhang,
Juying Wang
Summary
This study documented the first records of microplastic contamination in surface sediments from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas, including waters near Arctic Alaska, finding widespread but variable particle abundances. The findings confirm that even high-latitude Arctic seafloor sediments receive microplastic input, likely transported by ocean currents from distant sources.
Worldwide the seafloor has been recognized as a major sink for microplastics. However, currently nothing is known about the sediment microplastic pollution in the North Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean. Here, we present the first record of microplastic contamination in the surface sediment from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas. The microplastics were extracted by the density separation method from collected samples. Each particle was identified using the microscopic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μFTIR). The abundances of microplastics in sediments from all sites ranged from not detected (ND) to 68.78 items/kg dry weight (DW) of sediment. The highest level of microplastic contamination in the sediment was detected from the Chukchi Sea. A negative correlation between microplastic abundance and water depth was observed. Polypropylene (PP) accounted for the largest proportion (51.5%) of the identified microplastic particles, followed by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (35.2%) and rayon (13.3%). Fibers constituted the most common shape of plastic particles. The range of polymer types, physical shapes and spatial distribution characteristics of the microplastics suggest that water masses from the Pacific and local coastal inputs are possible sources for the microplastics found in the study area. In overall, our results highlight the global distribution of these anthropogenic pollutants and the importance of management action to reduce marine debris worldwide.