Microplastics are increasingly recognized as ubiquitous global contaminants, but questions linger regarding their source, transport and fate. We document the widespread distribution of microplastics in near-surface seawater from 71 stations across the European and North American Arctic - including the North Pole. We also characterize samples to a depth of 1,015 m in the Beaufort Sea. Particle abundance correlated with longitude, with almost three times more particles in the eastern Arctic compared to the west. Polyester comprised 73% of total synthetic fibres, with an east-to-west shift in infra-red signatures pointing to a potential weathering of fibres away from source. Here we suggest that relatively fresh polyester fibres are delivered to the eastern Arctic Ocean, via Atlantic Ocean inputs and/or atmospheric transport from the South. This raises further questions about the global reach of textile fibres in domestic wastewater, with our findings pointing to their widespread distribution in this remote region of the world.
This study aimed to evaluate the impact on the behaviour and attitudes of experienced general practitioners of a 10-hour training package in the assessment and management of depression. Twenty general practitioners participated. Both subjective and objective assessments were carried out which suggested significant improvements in both assessment and management skills. However, subjectively reported changes were not always supported by the objective data obtained from rating role-played interviews. The role-played patients rated the doctors as better communicators after training. All participants felt attending the course was beneficial. They all felt more confident in their abilities to deal with depression and said the skills they had learnt on the course would be useful to them in their future work. An outcome study is now underway in order to assess whether the training package, which has been demonstrated to have an impact on the behaviour, skills and attitudes of doctors, has an impact on the health of patients.
Mesozooplankton were sampled in the Canada Basin in the summers of 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and fall 2009. Six taxa (Calanus hyperboreus, Calanus glacialis, Oithona similis, Limacina helicina, Microcalanus pygmaeus, and Pseudocalanus spp.) accounted for 77–91% of the abundance in all years, and 70–80% of biomass in 2004–2008. The biomass of C. hyperboreus and C. glacialis was reduced in 2009, likely due to seasonal migration below the sampling depth. Mean abundance was consistent across surveys while biomass increased from 18.92 to 32.56 mg dry weight m−3 between 2004 and 2008. Multivariate analysis identified a clear separation between shelf and deep basin (>1000 m) assemblages. Within the deep basin abundance and biomass were higher in the west, associated with a higher chlorophyll maximum. In 2007 and 2008 considerable heterogeneity developed in the assemblage structure, associated with variability in the contribution of the short‐lived (<1 year) copepod species O. similis and M. pygmaeus. Conversely, the long lived (≥2 years) C. hyperboreus and C. glacialis showed an increasingly consistent spatial distribution of high biomass from 2004 to 2008. We propose that a greater dependence on autochthonous basin production by the short‐lived species resulted in their decreased secondary production in the freshening Beaufort Gyre in 2007 and 2008. Conversely, long‐lived species were supported by high allochthonous production on the Beaufort and Chukchi shelves and lipid stores accumulated from this source enabled them to persist in the low chlorophyll a biomass conditions of the Canada Basin.
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