Record levels of plastic discovered in Arctic sea ice
Scientists have found a record amount of plastic trapped in Arctic sea ice, raising concern about the impact on marine life and human health. Up to 12,000 pieces of microplastic particles were found per litre of sea ice in core samples taken from five regions on trips to the Arctic Ocean – as many as three times higher than levels in previous studies. Researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) found fragments of packaging, paints, nylon, polyester and cellulose acetate which is commonly used in making cigarette filters in every sample they took in 2014 and 2015. The findings come amid growing concern about the scale of plastic pollution which experts have warned risks the near-permanent contamination of the planet. Previous research estimated that at least 1tn pieces of plastic had been frozen into the Arctic ice over past decades, making it a major global sink for plastic pollution, many times more concentrated than the well-known great Pacific garbage patch.
Posted by admin
on Apr 25 2018. Filed under News Worldwide.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
Loading ...