On the 12th, from the First Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration, it was learned that expedition members who are carrying out China's first Global Ocean Integrated Scientific Expedition on the ship Xiangyang-Hong 01 have found the presence of micro-plastic in Antarctic seawater.
According to the scientific expedition information compiled by the expedition team members to the First Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration, expedition team members obtained 500 liters of surface seawater from the Powell Basin in Antarctica through the onboard pump and formed the filter membrane by filtering the sea water. Microscope observation of the filter and found that there are five or six on the filter less than 0.3 mm of plastic, which is more obvious in the middle of the filter fiber thin blue lines, the density slightly higher than the average level of the ocean. These microplastics are likely to be fibrous plastic cords.
It is understood that the global annual production of more than 300 million tons of plastic, of which about 10% of the plastic will enter the ocean.The size of those less than 5 mm plastic fragments is a micro plastic, their chemical properties are more stable, difficult to degrade, can exist in the sea Hundreds or even thousands of years, micro-plastics can have a devastating effect on marine life, and micro-plastic-contaminated marine life can appear on human desks, ultimately threatening human health.
Sun Chengjun, a researcher with the First Institute of Oceanography under the State Oceanic Administration, introduced that in addition to being harmful to marine life, the micro plastic will include some pollutants such as heavy metals and organic pollutants.
Experts said that carrying out marine micro-plastic research and identifying the mechanism of micro-plastic pollution on the marine ecosystem health and fully understanding the status quo of micro-plastic pollution in the oceans will help mankind find a feasible way to control and control it. The 'Xiangyang Hong 01' boat in the Antarctic scientific expedition is an important task is to find the micro plastic in the ocean.