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Microplastic Contamination of the Canadian Archipelago
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Microplastic contamination was assessed in sediment and water samples from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, a remote region with low direct human activity. The presence of microplastics in this isolated polar environment confirms long-range transport of plastic pollution via ocean currents and atmospheric pathways.
Microplastics (MPs) are considered to be synthetic polymeric material <5mm in size and originate from either primary sources, those manufactured to be <5mm in size, or from the breakdown of larger pieces by physical, chemical and radioactive processes. These fragments may become small enough to allow them to be ingested and bio-accumulate. MP pollution has been recorded in marine sediments in nearly all of the Earth’s oceans and has been recently quantified in Greenlandic sea ice and Greenlandic sea way sediments. An independent research project with Drs Matthew Ross, Anna Pienkowski and Mark Furze in the Fall of 2017 quantified MP pollution in Frobisher Bay sediments. Eleven samples were collected during the 2017 summer expedition aboard the CCG Amundsen ice breaker. They were taken in a linear fashion within Frobisher Bay allowing for the correlation of MP deposition and proximity to anthropogenic habit in the area. Extraction procedures were based on modifications of standard methods developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This includes four procedures which aimed to separate MPs from sediments and micro-organic materials by exploiting differing density and dissolution properties. We collected sieved MPs of five size ranges via vacuum filtration onto 0.45μm filter paper for analysis. Subsequent visual mapping allowed large scale processing of data and pinpoints areas of interest for spectral analysis. Using Raman microscopy, polymer identification may allow us to understand sources and migratory patterns of MPs. This process allowed us to quantify MP contamination in Arctic sediments enhancing global data sets for future research into MP source, transport and fate. We can conclude that MP contamination is found at higher concentrations nearest the City of Iqaluit relative to mouth of Frobisher Bay with averages ranging between 13.08 MPs per gram of sediment (mp/gs) and 5.31 mp/gs respectively. This suggests that relatively small communities can have a significant impact on MP contamination levels in secluded oceanic bays. I look forward to the opportunity to further disseminate microplastic contamination research as it is vital in increasing public awareness and pressure on policy makers to initiate mitigation and reclamation of this very important global issue. *Indicates presenter
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Microplastics were found in subsurface waters throughout the remote Canadian Arctic Archipelago, indicating that plastic pollution has reached even the most isolated polar regions. Increasing Arctic shipping routes may be introducing additional local sources of plastic contamination to these pristine environments.
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Researchers investigated microplastic distribution in seawater and sea ice of the western Canadian Arctic, including the previously unstudied Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area. The study found microplastic contamination throughout the region while highlighting gaps in existing Arctic microplastic data.
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Researchers reported some of the first measured values for microplastic particles in Arctic polar waters, finding contamination even in these remote high-latitude waters and raising questions about long-range transport mechanisms.
Anthropogenic particles (including microfibers and microplastics) in marine sediments of the Canadian Arctic
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Researchers conducted the first Arctic-wide Canadian survey of anthropogenic particles in marine sediments, finding microfibers and microplastics at all 14 sampled sites including remote locations, with synthetic fibers far outnumbering hard plastic fragments and concentrations increasing near shipping routes.
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Scientists collected surface water, zooplankton, sediment, and snow samples from Hudson Bay to northern Baffin Island and found microplastics in all sample types, providing the first comprehensive assessment of microplastic contamination across this broad eastern Canadian Arctic region.
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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.