Future monitoring of litter and microplastics in the Arctic—challenges, opportunities, and strategies

Abstract

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) has published a plan and guidelines for the monitoring of litter and microplastics (MP) in the Arctic. Here we look beyond suggestions for immediate monitoring and discuss challenges, opportunities and future strategies in the long-term monitoring of litter and MP in the Arctic. Challenges are related to environmental conditions, lack of harmonization and standardization of measurements, and long-term coordinated and harmonized data storage. Furthermore, major knowledge gaps exist with regard to benchmark levels, transport, sources and effects, which should be considered in future monitoring strategies. Their development could build on the existing infrastructure and networks established in other monitoring initiatives in the Arctic, while taking into account specific requirements for litter and MP monitoring. Knowledge existing in northern and Indigenous communities, as well as their research priorities, should be integrated into collaborative approaches. The monitoring plan for litter and MP in the Arctic allows for an ecosystem-based approach, which will improve the understanding of linkages between environmental media of the Arctic, as well as links to the global problem of litter and MP pollution.

Where does Arctic beach debris come from? Analyzing debris composition and provenance on Svalbard aided by citizen scientists

“…Proportions of marine debris of different provenance in three samples collected from Kiepertøya (2017), Tommelen (2019) and Kiepertøya (2021) from items that still showed signs of provenance.…”

Plastics as a carrier of chemical additives to the Arctic: possibilities for strategic monitoring across the circumpolar North

“…Interdisciplinary collaboration among institutions at a Pan-Arctic scale can lead to samples being utilized for more than one purpose, cost-efficient, and a more holistic view of these emerging issues. Given this, it is important to reiterate the need for harmonized analyses and reporting to ensure comparability across studies, as also discussed by Provencher et al 2022).…”

“…The monitoring of physical litter and microplastic in the Arctic has been initiated in some northern regions, and immediate baseline and time trend monitoring across the Arctic has been recommended for biotic and abiotic environmental media (AMAP 2021a;Provencher et al 2022).…”

“…At present, this is a field of ongoing research in the Arctic. Sources and transport pathways for plastic particles to the Arctic are not well-understood, however, monitoring strategies have been proposed for source and surveillance monitoring in the Arctic (AMAP 2021a;Provencher et al 2022).Several compounds previously used as additives in plastics (e.g., PBDEs) are monitored in the Arctic, including Arctic biota, and other compounds used as additives (e.g., organophosphate flame retardants, phthalates, siloxanes) have been included in more research-oriented screening initiatives (AMAP 2017). However, their presence in the Arctic environment does not give information about the transport pathway (e.g., particle bound or as a free molecule; local vs. longrange transport; Figure1).Understanding the relationship between sources, long-range transport, plastic emissions, and additive concentrations in the environment is important for regulators, both regarding plastic pollution and chemical management.…”

Revisiting the Strategy for Marine Litter Monitoring within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (Msfd)

“…Since monitoring is dependent on objectives (GESAMP, 2019), one must tailor the sampling strategies, protocols, and indicators to the specific questions being asked. As defined by Provencher et al (2022), monitoring can include "baseline monitoring or initial assessments" to establish benchmark levels for a specific area at a specific point in time, "trend monitoring" to detect changes across temporal and/or spatial scales, and "source monitoring or surveillance monitoring" to monitor potential point sources/specific pressures. Additional monitoring methods may be considered, such as "compliance monitoring" to ensure that regulatory requirements/standards are met and "impact monitoring" to evaluate the effects of plastic pollution and related contaminants.…”