Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic surface water: main sources and drivers of spatiotemporal variability

Researchers conducted the most extensive survey of floating microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic to date, collecting 220 surface water and 180 subsurface water samples across the Barents, Kara, Laptev, and East-Siberian seas during six cruises from 2019 to 2022. They found a strong west-to-east gradient in microplastic pollution, declining from 19.0 micrograms per cubic meter in the Barents Sea to 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter in the East-Siberian Sea, with the Kara Gate Strait showing the highest concentration at 640 micrograms per cubic meter, suggesting the Barents Sea as the primary source of microplastics in the Siberian Arctic.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal trends in microplastic pollution of surface waters of the Eurasian Arctic

Researchers conducted the most extensive survey to date of floating microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic Ocean, collecting 200 surface water samples across four Arctic seas over four years using standardized methods. The study provides a crucial baseline for tracking whether microplastic contamination in this remote and climate-sensitive ocean region is increasing over time, which matters because Arctic ecosystems are already under severe stress and microplastics can further harm the marine food web from plankton to Arctic wildlife.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics distribution in the Eurasian Arctic is affected by Atlantic waters and Siberian rivers

Analysis of 60 water samples from the Eurasian Arctic found average microplastic concentrations of 0.004 items/m³ in surface net samples and 0.8 items/m³ in subsurface pump samples, with particle type and abundance differing significantly between Atlantic water masses and Siberian river plumes.

2021 Communications Earth & Environment 139 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Surface Waters of the Russian Arctic Seas: Distribution, Concentration, Identification, and Eco-Risks for Fish

Microplastics were detected across surface waters of the Russian Arctic seas, with concentrations and polymer types varying by region and season. The findings document that even high-latitude Arctic waters are not spared from microplastic contamination, likely transported by ocean currents and rivers.

2025 Journal of Ichthyology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Arctic: a transect through the Barents Sea

Researchers collected large-volume sub-surface water samples along transects through the Barents Sea to quantify and characterize microplastics, examining the role of regional ocean currents in concentrating plastic debris. The study contributes baseline data on microplastic distribution in this productive Arctic marginal sea mooted as a potential sixth ocean gyre for plastic accumulation.

2023 Frontiers in Marine Science 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Systematical insights into distribution and characteristics of microplastics in near-surface waters from the East Asian Seas to the Arctic Central Basin

Researchers systematically mapped microplastic distribution in near-surface waters from the East Asian Seas to the Arctic Central Basin, detecting particles at 93.9% of sites with an average of 2.91 items/m3 and finding that fragments and fibers dominated across the entire transect.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics quantification in surface waters of the Barents, Kara and White Seas

This study measured microplastic concentrations in the surface waters of the White, Barents, and Kara Seas in the Arctic, finding particularly high levels off the coast of Novaya Zemlya. The detection of microplastics in these remote Arctic waters confirms that ocean currents carry plastic pollution to polar regions far from the original sources.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Horizontal distribution of surface microplastic concentrations and water-column microplastic inventories in the Chukchi Sea, western Arctic Ocean

Researchers mapped the horizontal distribution of microplastics in the Chukchi Sea of the western Arctic Ocean, providing the first water-column microplastic inventory for this region and revealing significant contamination even in remote polar waters experiencing rapid sea-ice loss.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Arctic polar waters: the first reported values of particles in surface and sub-surface samples

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.

2015 Scientific Reports 1119 citations
Article Tier 2

Importance of seasonal sea ice in the western Arctic ocean to the Arctic and global microplastic budgets

This study quantified the role of western Arctic sea ice as a seasonal sink and transport vector for microplastics, finding that atmospheric deposition and sea ice dynamics contribute significantly to the regional and global microplastic budget.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 72 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of microplastic pollution in Arctic fjord water: a case study of Rijpfjorden, Northern Svalbard

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in the remote Rijpfjorden fjord in Northern Svalbard, sampling both surface water and the water column down to 200 m, and found widespread microplastic presence even in this Arctic environment far from major pollution sources.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance and distribution of microplastics in the surface sediments from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas

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.

2018 Environmental Pollution 196 citations
Article Tier 2

Floating microplastics in Svalbard fjords: High spatial variability requires methodological consistency in estuarine systems

This study quantified floating microplastics in fjords around Svalbard, finding high spatial variability that necessitates dense sampling strategies, with concentrations influenced by sea ice dynamics and ocean current patterns.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Svalbard fjords: influence of hydrodynamics and local pollution sources

Researchers studied microplastic distribution in Svalbard fjords over three years (July 2021-2023) using both neuston net surface sampling and pump-based subsurface collection, examining the role of rivers, local populations, and hydrodynamics on microplastic fate in Arctic coastal waters. They found the highest concentrations in populated Adventfjorden, with peak levels of up to 71,400 items/km2 along the river plume boundary.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Floating microplastic inventories in the southern Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean

Floating microplastics were sampled in the southern Beaufort Sea in the Canadian Arctic, finding that the region receives MP inputs despite seasonal sea ice cover, with concentrations and polymer types reflecting long-range atmospheric and oceanic transport.

2023 Frontiers in Marine Science 22 citations
Article Tier 2

The occurrence and sources of microplastics to Arctic and sub-Arctic beaches: human influence on local microplastic hotspots

Researchers characterized microplastic occurrence and sources at Arctic and sub-Arctic beaches, finding that proximity to human settlements creates local hotspots, while more remote beaches receive microplastics primarily through long-range oceanic transport.

2024
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic concentration and potential transport in the Arctic Ocean

Researchers conducted the first multi-matrix, multi-site assessment of nanoplastics across the Arctic Ocean and found polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene nanoplastics widely distributed from the Svalbard region to the central Arctic. Concentrations ranged up to 900 nanograms per liter, with higher levels in snow and surface ice than at the ice-sea interface, suggesting that sea ice acts as a temporary reservoir and secondary source of nanoplastic redistribution.

2026 npj Emerging Contaminants
Article Tier 2

Origin and intra-annual variability of vertical microplastic fluxes in Fram Strait, Arctic Ocean

Sediment trap data from Fram Strait in the Arctic Ocean revealed temporal and spatial variability in vertical microplastic fluxes, with MP concentrations and composition varying seasonally. The study provided evidence that the Arctic deep sea receives a continuous supply of MPs via vertical settling, driven by ocean circulation and ice dynamics.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The Composition of Polluting Materials in the Marine Waters of the Arctic Zone of Russia

Researchers analyzed 99 surface water samples collected via 335-micron Manta nets across Arctic Sea shelf and Barents Sea survey areas during 2019-2021 expeditions, finding a mean plastic concentration of 0.032 units/m3 with polyethylene, polypropylene, LDPE, HDPE, and polystyrene as dominant polymer types, and observing no localized plastic concentration hotspots within the Russian Arctic zone.

2024 Moscow Economic Journal 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Estimation of plastic waste accumulation in the Arctic

Researchers analyzed sources, spatial distribution patterns, and mass transfer dynamics of plastic and microplastic pollution in the Arctic, proposing plastic waste management approaches and a community-based monitoring program to track microplastic accumulation across Arctic regions.

2025 Arctic and Innovations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in sea ice and seawater beneath ice floes from the Arctic Ocean

Microplastic concentrations in Arctic sea ice were orders of magnitude higher than in the underlying seawater, with 2 to 17 particles per liter in ice versus 0 to 18 particles per cubic meter beneath floes in the Central Basin. Backward trajectory modeling suggested the sea ice originated from the Siberian shelf and other Arctic regions, consistent with long-range transport of microplastics to the pole.

2020 Scientific Reports 285 citations
Article Tier 2

Observations of floating anthropogenic litter in the Barents Sea and Fram Strait, Arctic

Ship and helicopter surveys in the Barents Sea and Fram Strait confirmed the presence of anthropogenic litter, mostly plastic, in these remote Arctic waters. The findings indicate that ocean currents transport plastic debris from distant sources to even the most isolated polar seas, leaving no part of the global ocean untouched.

2015 Polar Biology 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Svalbard fjords: influence of hydrodynamics and local pollution sources

Researchers studied the distribution of surface and subsurface microplastics in Svalbard fjords over three years (July 2021-2023), investigating how hydrodynamics, river discharge, and local pollution sources influence microplastic fate in Arctic coastal waters.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Spatio-temporal variation of microplastic pollution in the sediment from the Chukchi Sea over five years

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in sediments from the Chukchi Sea across three Arctic voyages in 2016, 2018, and 2020, finding abundances ranging from 33 to 105 items per sample with spatial and temporal variability. The study also explored correlations between Arctic sea ice variation and microplastic accumulation in sediments.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 36 citations