Microplastic accumulation in benthic invertebrates in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

Sfriso, A.; Tomio, Yari; Rosso, Beatrice; Gambaro, Andrea; Sfriso, Adriano; Corami, Fabiana; Rastelli, Eugenio; Corinaldesi, Cinzia; Mistri, Michele; Cristina, Maria Luisa

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.105587

Cited by 149 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…One aspect of the plastic problem are microplastics that are most commonly defined as small plastic particles 1 µm-5 mm in size 4 . Microplastics are of particular environmental concern because they are bioavailable to a wide range of marine organisms and are present in food webs [5][6][7][8] . The Arctic Ocean was considered free of plastic pollution until recently, but in the last years the number of publications reporting microplastics in the Arctic waters, sea ice, sediments and biota have been increasing [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] .…”

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confidence: 99%

Microplastics distribution in the Eurasian Arctic is affected by Atlantic waters and Siberian rivers

Yakushev

Gebruk

Osadchiev

et al. 2021

Commun Earth Environ

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Plastic pollution is globally recognised as a threat to marine ecosystems, habitats, and wildlife, and it has now reached remote locations such as the Arctic Ocean. Nevertheless, the distribution of microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic is particularly underreported. Here we present analyses of 60 subsurface pump water samples and 48 surface neuston net samples from the Eurasian Arctic with the goal to quantify and classify microplastics in relation to oceanographic conditions. In our study area, we found on average 0.004 items of microplastics per m3 in the surface samples, and 0.8 items per m3 in the subsurface samples. Microplastic characteristics differ significantly between Atlantic surface water, Polar surface water and discharge plumes of the Great Siberian Rivers, allowing identification of two sources of microplastic pollution (p < 0.05 for surface area, morphology, and polymer types). The highest weight concentration of microplastics was observed within surface waters of Atlantic origin. Siberian river discharge was identified as the second largest source. We conclude that these water masses govern the distribution of microplastics in the Eurasian Arctic. The microplastics properties (i.e. abundance, polymer type, size, weight concentrations) can be used for identification of the water masses.

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Microplastics distribution in the Eurasian Arctic is affected by Atlantic waters and Siberian rivers

Yakushev

Gebruk

Osadchiev

et al. 2021

Commun Earth Environ

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“…It has been estimated that the Antarctic cryosphere holds around 90 % of Earth's ice mass (Dirscherl et al, 2020), with an increasing rate of ice loss during the last decades (Rignot et al, 2019). Furthermore, the Antarctic cryosphere represents the majority of the world's fresh water, representing the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet (Shepherd et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A pilot study about microplastics and mesoplastics in an Antarctic glacier

et al. 2021

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Abstract. Plastics have been found in several compartments in Antarctica. However, there is currently no evidence of their presence on Antarctic glaciers. Our pilot study investigated plastic occurrence on two ice surfaces (one area around Uruguay Lake and another one around Ionosferico Lake) that constitute part of the ablation zone of Collins Glacier (King George Island, Antarctica). Our results showed that expanded polystyrene (EPS) was ubiquitous, ranging from 0.17 to 0.33 items m−2, whereas polyester was found only on the ice surface around Uruguay Lake (0.25 items m−2). Furthermore, we evaluated the daily changes in the presence of plastics in these areas in the absence of rainfall to clarify the role of the wind in their transport. We registered an atmospheric dry deposition rate between 0.08 items m−2 d−1 on the ice surface around Uruguay Lake and 0.17 items m−2 d−1 on the ice surface around Ionosferico Lake. Our pilot study is the first report of plastic pollution presence on an Antarctic glacier, possibly originated from local current and past activities and likely deposited by wind transport.

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“…by Eriksson and Burton (2003), although a later study performed by Ryan et al (2016) found no microplastics in 8066 fur seal scats collected in the sub-Antarctic Marion Island. More recently, microplastic occurrence was investigated in 12 species of macrobenthic invertebrates characterized by different feeding strategies, sampled in Terra Nova Bay by Sfriso et al (2020) at increasing distances from the Italian research station. The organisms analyzed included anthozoans, bivalves, gastropods, amphipods, and polychaetes.…”

Section: Microplastics In the Antarctic Biotamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microplastics (>33 μm), mainly composed of nylon (86%) and polyethylene (5%), were found in 83% of the analyzed species with concentrations ranging between 0.01 and 3.29 items mg À1 . Interestingly, filter-feeding and grazing organisms displayed levels of microplastic contamination three to five times higher than omnivores and predators, leading to the hypothesis that no bioaccumulation is occurring through the Antarctic food web (Sfriso et al 2020). Currently, there is no evidence of microplastic ingestion in wild caught Antarctic zooplankton.…”

Section: Microplastics In the Antarctic Biotamentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in Polar Samples

Tirelli

Suaria

Lusher

2020

Handbook of Microplastics in the Environment

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Microplastics are increasingly recognized as being globally widespread, but relatively little is known about the presence and abundance of microplastics in samples collected in Polar Regions. Here we review the current knowledge about microplastic occurrence and distribution in polar environments, with a particular focus on the relevance of the data and comparability between Arctic and Antarctic investigations. In the Arctic, microplastics have been found in seawater, marine sediments, ice, and snow and in the gut content of several species at different

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Microplastic accumulation in benthic invertebrates in Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

Cited by 149 publications

References 53 publications

Microplastics distribution in the Eurasian Arctic is affected by Atlantic waters and Siberian rivers

Microplastics distribution in the Eurasian Arctic is affected by Atlantic waters and Siberian rivers

A pilot study about microplastics and mesoplastics in an Antarctic glacier

Microplastics in Polar Samples

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