Cited by 1,066Microplastics and Plastic PollutionArctic and Antarctic ice dynamicsPolar Research and Ecology

Arctic sea ice is an important temporal sink and means of transport for microplastic

Open access
Peeken, Ilka, Primpke, Sebastian, Beyer, Birte, Gütermann, Julia, Katlein, Christian, Krumpen, Thomas, Bergmann, Melanie, Hehemann, Laura +1 more·2018·Nature Communications

Abstract

Microplastics (MP) are recognized as a growing environmental hazard and have been identified as far as the remote Polar Regions, with particularly high concentrations of microplastics in sea ice. Little is known regarding the horizontal variability of MP within sea ice and how the underlying water body affects MP composition during sea ice growth. Here we show that sea ice MP has no uniform polymer composition and that, depending on the growth region and drift paths of the sea ice, unique MP patterns can be observed in different sea ice horizons. Thus even in remote regions such as the Arctic Ocean, certain MP indicate the presence of localized sources. Increasing exploitation of Arctic resources will likely lead to a higher MP load in the Arctic sea ice and will enhance the release of MP in the areas of strong seasonal sea ice melt and the outflow gateways.

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  • The relatively large mesh size (typically >300 mm) does not account for small microplastic particles which are probably more abundant, and it has been suggested that this may explain at least some of the discrepancy.

    “The relatively large mesh size (typically >300 mm) does also not account for small micro plastic particles which are probably more abundant 51,65 and it has been suggested that this may explain at least some of the discrepancy.21”

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Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. [15]Pavlov, V. in Arctic Alpine Ecosystems and People in a Changing Environment (eds Ørbæk, J. B. et al.) 329–350 (Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, 2007).
  2. [22]Andrady, A. L. in Marine Anthropogenic Litter (eds Bergmann, M., Gutow, L. & Klages, M.) 57–72 (Springer, Cham, 2015).
  3. [23]Thompson, R. C. in Marine Anthropogenic Litter (eds Bergmann, M., Gutow, L. & Klages, M.) 185–200 (Springer, Cham, 2015).
  4. [24]Lusher, A. L. in Marine Anthropogenic Litter (eds Bergmann, M., Gutow, L. & Klages, M.) 245–307 (Springer, Cham, 2015).
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  6. [27]Löder, M. G. J. & Gerdts, G. in Marine Anthropogenic Litter (eds Bergmann M., Gutow L., Klages M.) 201–227 (Springer, Cham, 2015).
  7. [58]Ellis, B. & Brigham, L. Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment 2009 Report. http://hdl.handle.net/11374/54 (Arctic Council, 2009).

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Authors
Peeken, I., Primpke, S., Beyer, B., Gütermann, J., Katlein, C., Krumpen, T., Bergmann, M., Hehemann, L., & Gerdts, G.
Affiliations
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE)
Corresponding author
Peeken, Ilka
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2018-04-24
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
1505-1505
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2801680854
Cited by
1,066
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 73 · 2025: 120 · 2024: 160 · 2023: 140 · 2022: 159 · 2021: 162 · 2020: 152 · 2019: 75 · 2018: 25
FWCI
38.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung (Alfred-Wegener-Institut) (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Polar Research and Ecology
Keywords
microplastics, Arctic sea ice, polymer composition, horizontal variability, microplastic sources, sea ice drift

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