Theory emerges after 'surprising' find in remote snow-covered region
Microplastics have been found in the human brain, fish, plants, and now in the most remote regions of Antarctica.
Tiny fragments of plastic have been found scattered in snow across multiple Antarctic deep field camps. What’s worrying about the discoveries, is the remoteness of the locations, which include the South Pole, Union Glacier and Schanz Glacier.
Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey were "surprised" by the find, and have developed a theory as to how they found their way to the outposts.
How the microplastics were detected
When introduced into the environment, plastics continue to break down into microplastics which are around 0.5 cm or less, then into tiny microscopic nanoplastics are less than 0.0001 cm. As they are whittled down, plastics are absorbed deep into the environment, plants and animals.
They’ve been detected in breast milk, male genitals, and this week new research revealed the human brain could contain enough plastic to create a teaspoon. And researchers are only now beginning to learn about the health implications of plastic, with a terrifying illness found in birds two years ago.
The plastics found in remote Antarctica were found by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at concentrations that ranged between 73 and 3,099 particles per litre of snow. And they were around 0.005 cm, which is the size of most human cells.
“We found microplastic abundance in these snow samples to be 100 times higher than in previous studies of Antarctic snow samples,” BAS marine ecologist Dr Emily Rowlands said.
The record concentrations were detected using a new technique that involves filtering melting snow through paper. It’s then scanned using infrared spectroscopy which detects small particles that can’t be seen with the human eye. The results were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Theory emerges after plastics found in snow around camps
Disturbingly the researchers suspect it’s Antarctic explorers who venture into the remote locations that are responsible for the majority of the pollution. That’s because plastic was only found around camps, and not at a control site in a more remote location.
More than half of the plastic was polyamide, which is used in fabric, and there were also traces of polyethylene terephthalate which is used in bottles and packaging, along with polyethylene and synthetic rubber.
“We think this means that there are local sources of plastic pollution, at least when it comes to polyamide. This could come from outdoor clothing, or the ropes and flags that are used to mark safe routes in and around the camp,” BAS ecologist Dr Clara Manno.
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Antarctica has increasingly become a popular tourist destination and that's having a direct impact on the environment. But researchers were not expecting such high concentrations around Antarctica's most remote regions.
“Despite stringent regulations on materials entering Antarctica, our findings reveal microplastic contamination even in remote and highly controlled areas. This underscores the pervasive nature of plastic pollution—demonstrating that nowhere on Earth is truly untouched,” field scientist Dr Kirstie Jones-Williams said.
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