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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to The problem of Microplastic Accumulation in the Arctic Ocean
ClearInvestigating 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Global warming releases microplastic legacy frozen in Arctic Sea ice
Researchers demonstrated that Arctic sea ice stores a legacy microplastic burden accumulated over decades, and that accelerating sea ice melt from global warming will increasingly release these stored plastics back into the ocean.
Microplastics in landfast sea ice of Alaskan Arctic: Characteristics and potential sources
Microplastics were found at concentrations averaging 221 particles per liter in Alaskan Arctic landfast sea ice, with over 80% of particles smaller than 50 micrometers — small enough to be readily ingested by marine organisms. The sea ice near Barrow acts as a seasonal reservoir that traps microplastics from Pacific Ocean currents and then releases them when the ice melts, exposing Arctic marine ecosystems to a pulse of pollution each spring. The dominance of polyamide and polyethylene points to fishing gear and packaging waste as primary sources.
Plastic debris composition and concentration in the Arctic Ocean, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Researchers sampled plastic debris in the Arctic Ocean rim, North Atlantic, and Baltic Sea using Manta trawls, finding microplastics at all 11 locations with generally low concentrations averaging 0.06 particles/m3, but with highest concentrations near the Arctic Ocean and polystyrene and polyethylene as dominant polymers.
Plastic litter in the European Arctic: What do we know?
Researchers reviewed available evidence on plastic litter in the European Arctic, finding that despite limited data, microplastics are present in every environmental compartment — including sea ice — and are being transported to this remote region from distant sources via ocean currents and wind.
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.
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.
Microplastics in polar regions: An early warning to the world's pristine ecosystem
This review summarized evidence for microplastic contamination in Arctic and Antarctic environments — including water, sea ice, sediment, and biota — characterizing polar regions as sinks for globally transported plastic particles and calling for improved monitoring to track long-term trends.
Marine Plastic Pollution in the Arctic
This Japanese review summarizes recent research on plastic pollution in the Arctic, covering contamination pathways, distribution, and effects on marine life. The findings confirm that Arctic plastic pollution is widespread and growing, with implications for ecosystems and Indigenous communities that rely on Arctic seafood.
Microplastics in sub-surface waters of the Arctic Central Basin
This study detected and characterized microplastics in sub-surface waters of the Arctic Central Basin, finding that even these remote deep waters contain measurable microplastic contamination, likely transported by ocean currents.
Arctic sea ice is an important temporal sink and means of transport for microplastic
This study showed that Arctic sea ice acts as a significant temporary reservoir for microplastics, trapping particles that are then released when ice melts, making sea ice both a sink and a transport mechanism for microplastic pollution.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.