A research team has discovered microplastics for the first time in the snow of Antarctica. The particles could have traveled thousands of miles through the air, but it’s just as likely that humans left a “plastic footprint” in Antarctica, they wrote in an article.
“It’s incredibly sad, but finding microplastics in the fresh snow of Antarctica underscores the magnitude of plastic pollution, even in the most remote regions of the world,” said Alex Aves, a student at Canterbury University in New Zealand who co-authored the study with several scientists. executed. They took samples from 19 locations on the Ross Ice Shelf in 2019 and published the related research paper Wednesday in the journal The Cryosphere.
The main result of the study is that each sample contained microplastics. This means non-biodegradable, synthetic polymers that are no larger than five millimeters. On average, the researchers discovered 29 such particles per liter of snow melted.
Plastic from plastic bottles and textile fibers
They came from 13 different types of plastic, mainly PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), which is mainly used to make plastic bottles and textile fibers. In samples taken near research stations, the density of microplastics was almost three times higher than in samples from remote areas.
This supports the theory that human presence in Antarctica may have left a “microplastic footprint”. But according to the research team, it’s just as likely that the particles traveled thousands of miles through the air. Antarctic organisms have adapted to extreme environmental conditions over many millions of years and the rapid environmental changes are said to threaten the “unique ecosystems of the polar regions”.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
