Microplastic Particles Found in Antarctic Snow for the First Time

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Microplastic Particles Found in Antarctic Snow for the First Time: Overview

Previously, data on Antarctic snow showed virtually no trace of microplastics, although they have been found in deep-sea sediments, marine sediments, the sea, and the region's surface waters.

The study, published in The Cryosphere, a journal of the European Geosciences Union, states: "The impact of microplastics on remote areas like Antarctica is enormous. Antarctic organisms have adapted to harsh environmental conditions for millions of years, and rapid environmental changes are threatening the unique ecosystems there."

Researchers collected 19 samples between November 30 and December 2, 2019, across locations on Ross Island, Antarctica. Six samples came from locations near research stations, and 13 from "remote, less human-inhabited sites."

The suspected microplastic particles were chemically identified at a laboratory in New Zealand. Microplastics were found in all samples, with a total of 109 particles confirmed across 19 field samples.

The study states: "Microplastics can accelerate the melting of permafrost when they appear on ice and snow in high-altitude or polar regions." "They can also further impact the climate by acting as ice nuclei in the atmosphere."

High-altitude predators including gentoo penguins, adélie penguins, chinstrap penguins, and king penguins have also been found to have microplastics in their food. The impact of pollution also puts emperor penguins at risk, with current models predicting their populations will decline by 81% by 2100.

For most samples, the most likely short-term source of microplastic particles is from northerly winds blowing over local bases. But the wind trajectories don't pass over any manned research stations, so the microplastics could be blown from nearby seas into the snow.

The study also stated: 'Specifically, the average concentrations of microplastic particles found in this study were higher than those in the surrounding Ross Sea and the concentrations reported in the ice of the East Antarctic Sea.'