2024-04-09 11:18:31
This content was published on April 9, 2024 – 1:18 p.m.
(Keystone-ATS) There is much more plastic in Antarctica than previously thought. Many of the particles are so small that previous research had not detected them, according to a Basel study.
Indeed, for the studies carried out so far, the plastic particles were fished from the sea using a net, explained the University of Basel in a press release on Tuesday. These nets had mesh sizes of around 300 micrometers, or a third of a millimeter. Smaller particles did not stay there.
However, in new samples taken from the Weddel Sea in Antarctica, 98.33% of plastic particles were smaller than 300 micrometers, as shown by an international research team led by the University of Basel in the journal Science of the TotalEnvironment.
Instead of using a net, the scientists pumped seawater into a tank and analyzed all the water using infrared spectroscopy. They were able to detect particles up to 11 micrometers, a fraction of the thickness of a single human hair.
Vulnerable aquatic organisms
“There is concern that these smaller and more frequent microplastic particles may pose a more significant risk to aquatic organisms,” the study authors write. These living organisms, adapted to extreme living conditions, are particularly vulnerable to environmental pollutants.
It is still unclear how microplastics got into the isolated Weddel Sea, or whether they will be able to leave again. Possible sources are shipping in the region, whether for tourism, fishing or research, as well as shore-based research stations. But microplastics can also arrive in Antarctica via atmospheric marine currents from other regions.
Clara Leistenschneider, first author of the study, is optimistic in the press release from the University of Basel. Many players around the world are working to better understand the problem and develop ideas to reduce plastic pollution, she emphasizes.
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