Cited by 289Microplastics and Plastic PollutionPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsOil Spill Detection and Mitigation

Microplastics in the Arctic: A Case Study with Sub-Surface Water and Fish Samples off Northeast Greenland

Morgana, Silvia, Ghigliotti, Laura, Estévez-Calvar, Noelia, Stifanese, Roberto, Wieckzorek, Alina, Doyle, Tom, Christiansen, Jørgen S., Faimali, Marco +1 more·2018·Environmental Pollution

Abstract

The Arctic is a unique and fragile ecosystem that needs to be preserved and protected. Despite its remoteness, plastic pollution has been documented in this region. In the coming years, it is likely to worsen since, with climate changes and the opening of new shipping routes, the human presence is going to increase in the whole area. Here, we investigated the presence of microplastics (MPs) in sub-surface water and in two mid-trophic level Arctic fishes collected off Northeast Greenland: the demersal bigeye sculpin, Triglops nybelini, and the pelagic polar cod, Boreogadus saida. Plastics debris were found in the water samples at a concentration of 2.4 items/m 3 ±0.8 SD which is higher than in most seas at lower latitudes. Both fish species had eaten MPs with different proportion among the species, 34% for T. nybelini (n = 71) and 18% for B. saida (n = 85). The significant difference in the occurrence of MPs between the two species is likely a consequence of their feeding behavior and habitat. Polyethylene was the main plastic polymer for water samples (41%, n = 17) and polyester (34%, n = 156) for fish samples as analyzed by Fourier Transformed Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Our data underscore that the Arctic regions are turning into a hotspot for plastic pollution, and this calls urgently for precautionary measures.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.08.001

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  • Some studies reported no direct effect of MPs ingestion on health status through using Fulton's condition or Kn.

    “Some studies reported no direct effect of MPs’ ingestion on health status through using Fulton’s condition [33,44,45,52,53,56,59] or Kn [46,47].”

    From Is Wild Marine Biota Affected by Microplastics? (2022) · cites this paper as [53]

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Authors
Morgana, S., Ghigliotti, L., Estévez-Calvar, N., Stifanese, R., Wieckzorek, A., Doyle, T., Christiansen, J. S., Faimali, M., & Garaventa, F.
Affiliations
  • Istituto di Scienze Marine del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IT)
  • UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO)
Corresponding author
Morgana, Silvia
Venue
Environmental Pollution
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-11
Volume
242
Issue
Pt B
Pages
1078-1086
ISSN
0269-7491 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2887078825
Cited by
289
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 1
FWCI
11.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Environmental Pollution (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Oil Spill Detection and Mitigation
Keywords
microplastics, Boreogadus saida, Northeast Greenland, polyethylene, polyesters, feeding behavior, marine plastic debris
MeSH terms
Animals, Arctic Regions, Environmental Monitoring, Fishes, Greenland, Plastics, Seawater, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared

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