The algae species Melosira arctica, which grows under the sea ice in the Arctic, accumulates very strongly in microplastics and contains ten times as many particles as the seawater around it. According to a recent study, this poses a danger to the creatures that feed on the algae.
A research team led by the Bremerhaven Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) took samples of the algae and surrounding water from ice floes during an expedition with the research vessel Polarstern in the summer of 2021 (photo below).
“The filamentous algae have a slimy, sticky texture, so they can collect microplastics from atmospheric precipitation, the seawater itself, the surrounding ice and any other source they come across,” explains Deonie Allen from the University of Canterbury and the University of Birmingham. from the AWI team.
Algae grow rapidly in spring and summer
The Melosira alga grows rapidly under the sea ice in the spring and summer months and forms cell chains several meters long. When the algae polluted with microplastics die and the ice on which they are attached melts, they stick together in clumps. These can sink very quickly to the bottom of the arctic deep sea. This also explains the high concentrations of microplastics in the sediment there, the researchers report in the journal “Environmental Science and Technology”.
“We finally found a plausible explanation why we always find the highest amounts of microplastics in the ice edge region, even in deep-sea sediments,” emphasizes AWI biologist Melanie Bergmann. The algae are an important food source for benthic animals and bacteria.
Source: Krone
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