Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution in the Arctic

This review describes how plastic pollution, including microplastics, has spread throughout the Arctic despite its remoteness, carried by ocean currents, rivers, and wind from lower latitudes. Plastics accumulate in Arctic ice, water, soil, and wildlife, and even if all plastic production stopped today, existing plastic would continue fragmenting into microplastics for decades. The contamination of this sensitive ecosystem is concerning because Arctic food webs, including fish consumed by humans, are already affected.

2022 Nature Reviews Earth & Environment 541 citations
Article Tier 2

The problem of Microplastic Accumulation in the Arctic Ocean

This review highlights the emerging threat of microplastic accumulation in the rapidly warming Arctic Ocean, documenting MP presence in seawater, sediments, sea ice, and marine organisms and identifying the Arctic as a convergence zone for plastic pollution transported by ocean currents.

2021 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating the sources, transfer, and fate of microplastics in the Arctic marine environment

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic sources, transport pathways, and fate in Arctic marine environments, examining how MPs present in sea ice, water columns, and marine biota reflect both local and long-range transport from lower latitudes.

2025 University of Lancaster
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 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

Microplastic pellets in Arctic marine sediments: a common source or a common process?

Researchers examined microplastic pellet contamination in Arctic marine sediments to understand whether their presence reflects common sources or shared degradation processes. The study found that microplastics are accumulating on the Arctic seafloor, contributing to growing evidence that plastic pollution reaches even the most remote ocean environments.

2025 Environmental Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

The Microplastics Occurrence and Toxic Effects in Marine Environment

This review examines the occurrence routes and toxic effects of microplastics in marine environments, documenting contamination even in previously pristine areas such as Arctic and Antarctic oceans and highlighting the broad ecological impacts on marine ecosystems.

2022 Journal of Environmental Microbiology and Toxicology 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in the Arctic Ocean: Assessing ingestion and potential health effects in Calanus and Neocalanus copepods

This review assessed the extent of microplastic ingestion by Arctic marine organisms and evaluated the potential risks to both wildlife and human consumers of Arctic seafood. The authors found evidence of microplastic ingestion across multiple species and called for more research on long-term ecological impacts in polar environments.

2019 Summit (Simon Fraser University) 1 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

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

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 Distribution within Western Arctic Seawater and Sea Ice

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.

2023 Toxics 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution in the marine environment

This review provides a comprehensive overview of plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments, covering everything from how plastics enter the ocean to their effects on marine life. Researchers compiled global data showing microplastic concentrations ranging widely across different water bodies and sediments, with marine organisms accumulating significant amounts. The study underscores that plastic pollution causes ecological damage through entanglement, ingestion toxicity, and the transport of invasive species.

2020 Heliyon 939 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Pollution in Oceans: a Review

This review examines plastic pollution in the world's oceans, covering sources, distribution pathways, ecological impacts, and the current state of scientific understanding of marine plastic contamination.

2024 Indian Journal of Scientific Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine Microplastics in Polar Region—a Spitsbergen Case Study

Researchers detected both primary and secondary microplastics in waters around Svalbard (Spitsbergen) in the Arctic during a 2017 expedition. The findings confirm that microplastic pollution has reached even remote polar regions, raising concerns about contamination of Arctic ecosystems.

2021 Water Air & Soil Pollution 6 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

Remote, but Not Isolated—Microplastics in the Sub-surface Waters of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

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.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-range drift of microplastics towards the Arctic Ocean - discussions on the issue and observations along the North Atlantic current system

This study examined the long-range transport of microplastics toward the Arctic Ocean via the North Atlantic current system, documenting plastic contamination in waters far from human population centers. The findings demonstrate that microplastics are now globally distributed, reaching polar regions through ocean circulation.

2018 UTUPub (University of Turku)
Article Tier 2

Litter and Microplastics: Environmental monitoring in the Arctic

This study describes a monitoring program for plastic litter and microplastics in Arctic environments, combining beach surveys with water sampling across Norwegian Arctic sites. Even in remote polar regions far from major population centers, significant and increasing plastic pollution was found, highlighting the global reach of this environmental problem.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Current efforts on microplastic monitoring in Arctic fish and how to proceed

This review examined published studies on microplastics in Arctic fish, finding limited but growing evidence of contamination across multiple Arctic regions and calling for standardized monitoring protocols and improved risk assessment frameworks.

2022 Arctic Science 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in the Polar Oceans – A Review

Microplastic pollution has reached even the remote Arctic and Antarctic polar oceans, making it a truly global environmental problem. This review summarizes what is known about polar microplastic contamination, highlights a surge in plastic waste linked to COVID-19-era demand, and calls for more research on how these particles affect polar ecosystems.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Arctic Plastification: Climate-driven amplification of plastic pollution through accumulation and fragmentation

This perspective piece argues that Arctic warming is amplifying plastic pollution through accelerated ice loss, coastal erosion, and increased sunlight exposure, which together create new accumulation zones and speed up fragmentation of plastic debris into microplastics.

2025
Article Tier 2

Environmental implications of microplastic pollution in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean

Researchers assessed microplastic concentrations, distribution, and characteristics across the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, finding widespread contamination with significant spatial variation and identifying environmental implications for marine ecosystems in this understudied region.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 94 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