Microplastics found in Antarctica for first time

Tags: Popular Science and Technology

Scientists have found microplastics in fresh ice in the Antarctic for the first time.

• Scientists have warned that the microplastics in the fresh snow of Antarctica would accelerate the process of melting of ice. 

• The researchers found an average of 29 microplastic particles per litre of melted snow.

• There were 13 different types of plastic found.

• The findings, published in The Cryosphere Journal, point to a serious threat to the Antarctic region.

• Impact of microplastic on environment

• Studies have shown that microplastics negatively impact the health of the environment, as well as limit the growth, reproduction and normal biological functions of organisms.

• Studies show that the global usage of plastic is set to increase by three fold by the year 2060. 

• Microplastics have been discovered inside fish and under Arctic ice in the deepest ocean depths.

• Microplastics if found in humans have negative health effects.

• In 2019, Alex Aves, a PhD student at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, collected ice samples from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

• The researchers found in the laboratory that every sample from even remote sites on the Ross Ice Shelf contained plastic particles.

• Microplastics were found in ice samples from 19 sites in the Ross Island region of Antarctica.

• What are Microplastics?

• These are defined as plastics less than five millimetres in diameter.

• They are small plastic particles that result from commercial product development and the breakdown of larger plastics.

• Microplastics are non-degradable and insoluble in water.

• As a pollutant, microplastics can be harmful to the health of the environment, humans and organisms.