Summer sea ice melt and wastewater are important local sources of microlitter to Svalbard waters

Friesen, Lisa W. von; Granberg, Maria; Pavlova, Olga; Magnusson, Kerstin; Hassellöv, Martin; Gabrielsen, Geir Wing

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.105511

Cited by 59 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The occurrence of MPs in snow ranged from 0 to 1.5 × 10 5 MPs L −1 of melted snow (Bergmann et al, 2019), although it should be noted that a part of this study was conducted near urban areas. Regarding sea ice, concentrations of up to 1.2 × 10 4 MPs L −1 have been reported, although there are large differences between studies even from the same region (Peeken et al, 2018;von Friesen et al, 2020). The use of different units in reporting MP concentrations in mountain glaciers such as the number of items per mass of ice weight (78.3 ± 30.2 MPs kg −1 of sparse and fine supraglacial debris; Ambrosini et al, 2019) and mass of MPs per volume (0 to 23.6 ± 3.0 ng of MPs mL −1 ; Matericì et al, 2020) makes comparisons between studies difficult (e.g., 101.2 items L −1 ; Cabrera et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plastics, especially microplastics (plastic items <5 mm long; MPs), have been detected in several specific locations of the cryosphere, including mountain glaciers (Ambrosini et al, 2019;Cabrera et al, 2020;Matericì et al, 2020), polar and urban snow (Bergmann et al, 2019;Österlund et al, 2019), and sea ice (Geilfus et al, 2019;Kelly et al, 2020;La Daana et al, 2020;Obbard et al, 2014;Peeken et al, 2018;von Friesen et al, 2020). The occurrence of MPs in snow ranged from 0 to 1.5 × 10 5 MPs L −1 of melted snow (Bergmann et al, 2019), although it should be noted that a part of this study was conducted near urban areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A pilot study about microplastics and mesoplastics in an Antarctic glacier

et al. 2021

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“…MPs may also become temporarily or permanently trapped within algal mats (Feng et al, 2020) or by physical barriers such as dams (Watkins et al, 2019). Environmental perturbations, such as flooding, weather events and habitat alterations, can then free previously trapped or sunk MPs into the environment, which then gradually pass through aquatic systems and biota (von Friesen et al, 2020; O’Connor et al, 2019; Ockelford et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Environmental perturbations, such as flooding, weather events and habitat alterations, can then free previously trapped or sunk MPs into the environment, which then gradually pass through aquatic systems and biota (von Friesen et al, 2020;O'Connor et al, 2019;Ockelford et al, 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%

Microplastics in freshwater fishes: Occurrence, impacts and future perspectives

et al. 2021

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Microplastics (MPs) are small, plastic particles of various shapes, sizes and polymers.Although well studied in marine systems, their roles and importance in freshwater environments remain uncertain. Nevertheless, the restricted ranges and variable traits of freshwater fishes result in their communities being important receptors and strong bioindicators of MP pollution. Here, the current knowledge on MPs in freshwater fishes is synthesized, along with the development of recommendations for future research and sample processing. MPs are commonly ingested and passively taken up by numerous freshwater fishes, with ingestion patterns often related to individual traits (e.g. body size, trophic level) and environmental factors (e.g. local urbanization, habitat features). Controlled MP exposure studies highlight various effects on fish physiology, biochemistry and behaviour that are often complex, unpredictable, species-specific and nonlinear in respect of dose-response relationships.Egestion is typically rapid and effective, although particles of a particular shape and/ or size may remain, or translocate across the intestinal wall to other organs via the blood. Regarding future studies, there is a need to understand the interactions of MP pollution with other anthropogenic stressors (e.g. warming, eutrophication), with a concomitant requirement to increase the complexity of studies to enable impact assessment at population, community and ecosystem levels, and to determine whether there are consequences for processes, such as parasite transmission, where MPs could vector parasites or increase infection susceptibility. This knowledge will determine the extent to which MP pollution can be considered a major anthropogenic stressor of freshwaters in this era of global environmental change.

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“…While the impact of snow and ice on shoreline plastic accumulation has not yet been fully investigated, both snow and sea ice have been identified as important sinks for microplastics in other contexts (Obbard et al, 2014;Peeken et al, 2018;Bergmann et al, 2019;Kelly et al, 2020). High concentrations of microplastics found in snow and ice are released seasonally following snow and ice melt, a process that has been observed in surface waters (Ory et al, 2020;Uurasjärvi et al, 2020;Von Friesen et al, 2020). There is a significant body of emerging research confirming the importance of landscape features in shaping shoreline plastic deposition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Gaps in Shoreline Plastics Pollution Research

et al. 2021

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Shoreline surveys are an accessible and common method for monitoring plastic pollution in aquatic environments. Their results are critical to well-informed pollution mitigation efforts. Here, we show that three environmental variables: (1) coarse sediment, (2) accumulations of organic material, and (3) snow and ice are dramatically underrepresented by existing shoreline plastic pollution research efforts. We reviewed 361 published shoreline surveys, encompassing 3,284 sample sites, and found that only 4% of sites included coarse sediment, only one study described sampling organic material for plastic, and only 2.5% of sites are sampled in the presence of ice or snow. The relative absence of these environmental variables may stem from the tailoring of shoreline survey guidelines to a narrow range of shoreline environments. These three features influence plastic deposition and retention on shorelines, and their underrepresentation signals a need to recalibrate research efforts towards better methodological reporting, and regional representation and relevance.

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Summer sea ice melt and wastewater are important local sources of microlitter to Svalbard waters

Cited by 59 publications

References 45 publications

A pilot study about microplastics and mesoplastics in an Antarctic glacier

A pilot study about microplastics and mesoplastics in an Antarctic glacier

Microplastics in freshwater fishes: Occurrence, impacts and future perspectives

Critical Gaps in Shoreline Plastics Pollution Research

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