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Microplastics in the Southern Ocean
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Net tow surveys in the Southern Ocean in 2016 found 44 plastic pieces at five stations, confirming that microplastics reach even the remote Antarctic waters. The study computed total particle counts for the entire water column, providing a more complete estimate of microplastic burden than surface-only sampling.
A field survey to collect microplastics with sizes <5mm was conducted in the Southern Ocean in 2016. We performed five net-tows and collected 44 pieces of plastic. Total particle counts of the entire water column, which is free of vertical mixing, were computed using the surface concentration (particle count per unit seawater volume) of microplastics, wind speed, and significant wave height during the observation period. Total particle counts at two stations near Antarctica were estimated to be in the order of 100,000pieceskm-2.
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Microplastics in the Southern Ocean: Findings from the Continuous Plankton Recorder in the Ross Sea and the East Antarctic Regions
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This study found microplastics widely distributed in surface waters of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, collected via continuous plankton recorder samples. The detection of plastics in these remote polar waters confirms that microplastic contamination has reached essentially every corner of the global ocean.
Distribution characteristics of microplastics in surface and subsurface Antarctic seawater
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Researchers characterized microplastic distribution in both surface and subsurface Antarctic seawater, finding plastic contamination present at multiple depths and dominated by fibers and fragments, highlighting that even remote polar waters are affected by plastic pollution.
Floating macro- and microplastics around the Southern Ocean: Results from the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition
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Researchers surveyed floating macro- and microplastic pollution around the Southern Ocean islands, providing baseline abundance estimates for high southern latitudes. The data reveal that plastic contamination extends even to remote polar regions, with seabirds in the area confirmed to have been ingesting plastics since at least the 1960s.
High Abundances of Microplastic Pollution in Deep-Sea Sediments: Evidence from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
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Microplastic pollution was investigated in deep-sea sediments from Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions, finding high abundances that varied among sites. The study confirmed that microplastics are accumulating in the remote Antarctic deep-sea environment, with evidence going back to scientific literature from the 1980s that has accelerated in recent years.
Microplastics in Southern Ocean sea ice: a pan-Antarctic perspective
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The first pan-Antarctic survey of microplastics in Southern Ocean sea ice found an average of 44.8 particles per liter across 19 archived ice core samples, with 19 different polymer types detected even in one of Earth's most remote regions. This confirms that microplastic contamination has reached the polar oceans and is being concentrated and transported by sea ice, with implications for the marine food web as the ice melts.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.