High Levels of Microplastics in the Arctic Sea Ice Alga Melosira arctica, a Vector to Ice-Associated and Benthic Food Webs.

ABSTRACT: Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous with very high quantities detected even in ecosystems as remote as Arctic sea ice and deep-sea sediments. Ice algae growing underneath sea ice are released upon melting and can form fast-sinking aggregates. In this pilot study, we sampled and analyzed the ice algaeMelosira arcticaand ambient sea water from three locations in the Fram Strait to assess their microplastic content and potential as a temporary sink and pathway to the deep seafloor. Analysis by μ-Raman and fluorescence microscopy detected microplastics (≥2.2 μm) in all samples at concentrations ranging from 1.3 to 5.7 × 10⁴ microplastics (MP) m^-3 in ice algae and from 1.4 to 4.5 × 10³ MP m^-3 in sea water, indicating magnitude higher concen

SUBMITTER: Bergmann M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10157888 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature