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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Arctic sea ice is an important temporal sink and means of transport for microplastic
ClearImportance 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.
Entrainment and Enrichment of Microplastics in Ice Formation Processes: Implications for the Transport of Microplastics in Cold Regions
Researchers investigated how microplastic properties and environmental conditions affect their entrainment and enrichment during ice formation, finding that sea ice selectively concentrates microplastics and can serve as both a temporary sink and a transport medium in cold regions.
Modeling the Accumulation and Transport of Microplastics by Sea Ice
Researchers used numerical modeling to examine how positively and neutrally buoyant microplastics accumulate in and are transported by Arctic and Southern Ocean sea ice, finding that sea ice acts as a significant seasonal reservoir and redistribution mechanism for microplastic pollution in polar regions.
Sea ice and a wastewater outlet identified as hotspots for anthropogenic microlitter in Svalbard waters
Researchers identified Arctic sea ice and a wastewater outlet in Svalbard as hotspots for microplastic accumulation in Arctic waters. Sea ice acted as a temporary reservoir for plastic particles that were then released into the water column during melting, suggesting that Arctic ice could be an important, underappreciated source of microplastic contamination in polar seas.
Cryosphere as a temporal sink and source of microplastics in the Arctic region
This review examined the Arctic cryosphere as both a sink and source of microplastics, showing that sea ice, snow, and permafrost store significant quantities of microplastics that are increasingly released into the environment as climate warming accelerates.
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.
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.
Microplastic Particles and Fibers in Seasonal Ice of the Northern Baltic Sea
This study characterized microplastic particles and fibers in seasonal ice samples from the northern Baltic Sea, finding that ice acts as a seasonal reservoir that concentrates and then releases microplastics upon melting.
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.
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.
Arctic Ocean sediments as important current and future sinks for marine microplastics missing in the global microplastic budget
Researchers mapped microplastic distribution across multiple environments in the western Arctic Ocean and found that Arctic sediments serve as a major, previously unrecognized sink for the world's missing microplastics. Sediment core analysis revealed that microplastic deposition has been increasing by about 3 percent per year, with sea ice acting as a temporary reservoir that releases trapped particles as it melts. The study helps explain why surface ocean plastic loads are lower than expected and warns that Arctic microplastic accumulation will likely accelerate as climate change reduces ice cover.
Distribution of microplastics between ice and water in aquatic systems: The influence of particle properties, salinity and freshwater characteristics
Laboratory freezing experiments showed that ice formation in both saltwater and freshwater captures microplastics, but the extent varies significantly with water chemistry, particle shape, and suspended solids — fiber-shaped particles were far less likely to be trapped in ice than fragments. In cold climates, ice can act as a seasonal reservoir that concentrates microplastics and then releases them in large pulses when it melts, making spring snowmelt a potentially significant delivery event for aquatic ecosystems. These findings are relevant for understanding microplastic dynamics in Arctic, subarctic, and temperate freshwater systems.
Seasonal ice encapsulation: the pivotal influence on microplastic transport and fate in cold regions
This study examines how seasonal ice encapsulation influences the transport and fate of microplastics in cold regions, noting that the small size and stability of microplastics allow them to persist even in remote environments including the Arctic and Antarctic. The authors analyze how freeze-thaw cycles and ice dynamics play a pivotal role in controlling microplastic distribution in these ecosystems.
Distribution and impacts of microplastic incorporation within sea ice
Researchers experimentally incorporated microplastics into sea ice to investigate their distribution and impact on ice properties, finding that microplastics concentrate within sea ice at levels far exceeding surface seawater and that their presence alters the physical and optical properties of the ice.
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.
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.
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.
Physical processes behind interactions of microplastic particles with natural ice
Researchers investigated the physical processes governing microplastic incorporation into sea ice, finding that particle size, density, and surface properties — combined with ice crystal growth dynamics — determine whether microplastics concentrate in brine channels or become entrapped in the ice matrix.
Microplastic accumulation in one-year freshwater ice: A four-year monitoring study reveals winter dynamics of microplastics
A four-year study of freshwater ice near Finnish urban areas found microplastic concentrations one to two orders of magnitude higher in ice than in the open surface water below, confirming that ice acts as a seasonal trap for microplastics. When ice and snow melt each spring, those concentrated microplastics flush into sediments and water bodies at once, creating a pulse of plastic pollution that is easy to overlook in warm-weather monitoring programs.
Backward and forward drift trajectories of sea ice in the northwestern Arctic Ocean in response to changing atmospheric circulation
Researchers tracked sea ice movement in the northwestern Arctic using buoys and satellite data to understand ice drift patterns. Sea ice acts as a transport vector for microplastics, concentrating and carrying plastic pollution from populated regions to remote polar environments.
Essential gaps and uncertainties in the understanding of the roles and functions of Arctic sea ice
This review maps current gaps in our understanding of Arctic sea ice—its structure, biology, and role in climate—and highlights priorities for future observation and research. While not directly about microplastics, Arctic sea ice is known to trap and release microplastics, making better ice monitoring relevant.
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.
Microplastics in sea ice drifted to the Shiretoko Peninsula, the southern end of the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea ice collected near Japan's Shiretoko Peninsula contained up to 60 microplastic particles per liter, predominantly small fragments under 120 micrometers, confirming that drifting sea ice acts as a carrier and temporary reservoir for microplastics across ocean regions. The findings add to evidence that polar and sub-polar ice systems play an active role in redistributing plastic pollution far from its original sources.
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.