Researchers from the University of Canterbury have released the world’s first study confirming the finding of microplastics in new Antarctic snow.
Most people think of Antarctica as a pure, unspoiled environment, but new research released today (8 June) found microplastics—plastic particles smaller than a grain of rice—for the first time in freshly fallen Antarctic snow.
These discoveries, published in the scientific journal The Cryosphere as “First evidence of microplastics in Antarctic snow,” shed light on a severe hazard to the Antarctic. Microplastics have been discovered to have harmful effects on the ecosystem, according to research (limiting growth, reproduction, and general biological functions in organisms, as well as negative implications for humans). Microplastic particles in the air have the ability to impact the climate by speeding up the melting of snow and ice on a larger scale.
As part of Gateway Antarctica’s Postgraduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies, University of Canterbury Ph.D. student Alex Aves collected snow samples from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in late 2019. (Gateway Antarctica is the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research.) There had been few investigations into the prevalence of microplastics in the air at the time, and it was unclear how prevalent the issue was.
“We were hopeful that Alex wouldn’t uncover any microplastics in such a clean and isolated place when she came to Antarctica in 2019,” says Associate Professor in Environmental Physics Dr. Laura Revell. “We requested her to gather snow from the Scott Base and McMurdo Station highways, so she’d have at least some microplastics to investigate,” says the researcher.
Once returning to the lab, it was clear that plastic particles were present in every sample taken from the Ross Ice Shelf’s distant locations, and that the discoveries would have worldwide implications.
Aves, who just received a Master in Antarctic Studies with Distinction, says her discoveries astounded her.
“It’s heartbreaking, but discovering microplastics in new Antarctic snow demonstrates the breadth of plastic contamination into even the most distant corners of the earth,” she adds. “We collected snow samples from 19 locations around Antarctica’s Ross Island region and detected microplastics in all of them.”
“In retrospect, I’m not shocked,” Associate Professor Revell explains. “We’ve learned from research published in recent years that we detect airborne microplastics everywhere we look.”
Aves used a chemical analysis approach to detect the type of plastic particles found in snow samples. The plastic particles were also examined under a microscope to determine their color, size, and shape—all of which are crucial observations for future studies.
The authors discovered an average of 29 microplastic particles per liter of melting snow, which is greater than previously recorded marine concentrations from the adjacent Ross Sea and Antarctic sea ice.
The density of microplastics was roughly three times greater around the scientific stations on Ross Island, Scott Base, and McMurdo Station, Antarctica’s biggest station, with amounts comparable to those observed in Italian glacier debris. There were 13 distinct forms of plastic discovered, with PET being the most prevalent, often used to produce soft drink bottles and garments.
The potential sources of microplastics were investigated. “Atmospheric models revealed microplastics may have moved thousands of kilometers through the air, but it is as probable that humanity’s presence in Antarctica has produced a microplastic’footprint,” the researchers write.
Natasha Gardiner, Antarctica New Zealand’s environmental advisor, called the UC research “hugely valuable.”
“The study of Alex and her colleagues allows Antarctic Treaty Parties to make evidence-based judgments on the urgent need to decrease plastic pollution in the future. It helps us better assess the degree of plastic contamination near Scott Base and where it is coming from. This knowledge may be used to prevent plastic pollution at its source and to guide our larger environmental management methods “she claims”Importantly, this research project also informs policy at the international level, and we have submitted a paper on the findings to the forthcoming Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.”
