Scientists at the Wegner Institute of Polar and Oceanography are sampling a melting pond in the Arctic.
According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian on April 24th, scientists have found record-setting plastic particles in the Arctic Ocean's seawater. Their influence on marine life and human health has aroused public concern.
In the core samples collected from five areas of the Arctic Ocean, there are as many as 12,000 plastic particles per litre of seawater ice mixture - which is more than three times the previous research results.
Researchers at the Alfred Wegner Institute Helmholtz Polar and Marine Research Center found in the sample packaging, paint, nylon, polyester and cellulose acetate particles. In 2014 and 2015 In each sample of the year, the presence of cellulose acetate was found. It is the raw material for making cigarette filters.
The results of this study come at a time when public concerns about plastic contamination are on the rise. Experts warn that the current scale of plastic pollution may cause permanent pollution of the entire planet.
According to past studies, at least one ton of plastic debris has been frozen in Arctic ice during the past few decades, making it a major source of global plastic pollution, which is more than the concentration of the famous Pacific Garbage Belt. Many times higher.
However, after the laboratory completed the measurement, Dr. Gunnar Jarders stated that his research showed that the problem is even more serious, because some of the plastic particles have a diameter of only 11 microns.
'This is about one-sixth of the human hair's diameter, and the results also explain why we found that samples of a mixture of seawater ice cubes per liter contain more than 12,000 particles—a higher concentration of particles than we have measured in past measurements. 2 to 3 times. '
The Wegner Institute’s research not only discovered a record number of plastic particles, but also discovered possible sources of these plastic particles—from degraded fishing gear to plastics that moved thousands of miles due to ocean currents.
One of the authors of the study, Dr. Ilka Picken, said: 'The concentration of high plastic particles in seawater ice cubes is not only derived from areas other than the Arctic Ocean. On the contrary, studies have pointed out the local pollution of the Arctic itself.'
Scientists claim that the extent of plastic pollution at this level has no effect on marine life and human health.
Picen said: 'No one can clearly point out how much these plastic particles are harmful to marine life and humans.'
Marine plastic pollution is a far-reaching problem. At present, there are about five tons of plastic debris floating on the global sea. Fish and birds often mistake plastics for food. In this way, plastic damages a whole ocean-related organism. Chain, and entered the human food chain.
Scientist Julia Gutman analyzed the plastic particles in the mixture of seawater ice in the Arctic core.
The current study found that the level of polyethylene found in a region of the Arctic reached a record level.
Considered to be from the Pacific's huge 'garbage zone'. In addition, researchers found high concentrations of paint and nylon particles in another part of the Arctic, suggesting an increase in transportation and fishing activities.
The Wegner Institute’s study also found that Arctic marine ice contains so much plastic that ice can move and melt, and that they have become an important means of transporting plastic particles throughout the Arctic region.
Dr. Jeremy Wilkinson, a sea ice physicist at the British Antarctic Survey, described the research at the Wegner Institute as 'providing a comparative benchmark study'.
'Plastic particles were found in all samples of the Arctic core... This shows that in the surface waters of the global ocean, plastic particles are everywhere. There is nowhere to be spared.'