Microplastic contamination in east Antarctic sea ice

A Kelly; D Lannuzel; T Rodemann; K M Meiners; H J Auman

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111130

Microplastic contamination in east Antarctic sea ice

Mar Pollut Bull. 2020 May:154:111130. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111130. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

Authors

A Kelly¹, D Lannuzel², T Rodemann³, K M Meiners⁴, H J Auman²

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia. Electronic address: anna.kelly@utas.edu.au.
² Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
³ Central Science Laboratory, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 74, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
⁴ Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia; Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 203 Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia.

PMID: 32319937
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111130

Abstract

The durability of plastics in the marine environment has led to concerns regarding the pervasiveness of this debris in remote polar habitats. Microplastic (MP) enrichment in East Antarctic sea ice was measured in one ice core sampled from coastal land-fast sea ice. The core was processed and filtered material was analyzed using micro Fourier-Transform Infrared (μFTIR) spectroscopy. 96 MP particles were identified, averaging 11.71 particles L^-1. The most common MP polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyamide) were consistent with those most frequently represented in the majority of marine MP studies. Sea-ice MP concentrations were positively related with chlorophyll a, suggesting living biomass could assist in incorporating MPs in sea ice. Our preliminary results indicate that sea ice has the potential to serve as a reservoir for MP debris in the Southern Ocean, which may have consequences for Southern Ocean food webs and biogeochemistry.

Keywords: East Antarctica; Land-fast sea ice; Marine debris; Microplastics; Plastic pollution; Southern Ocean.

MeSH terms

Antarctic Regions
Chlorophyll A
Environmental Monitoring
Ice Cover
Microplastics
Plastics*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Chlorophyll A