A new study led by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) shows that there are now alarming levels of plastic pollution in the Arctic Ocean around the Arctic circumference.
The AWI study says the flood of plastic waste has reached all areas of the Arctic. A large amount of this plastic is transported by rivers, air, and shipping. High concentrations of microplastics can be found in water, on the ocean floor, remote beaches, in rivers, and even in ice and snow.
Plastic is not only a burden to ecosystems, it can also exacerbate climate change. The study was just released in the journal Nature Review Earth & Environment.
Quoted from Science Daily, Saturday (8/4/2022) currently between 19 and 23 million metric tons of plastic waste per year ends up in the world's waters, this figure is equivalent to the capacity of two garbage trucks per minute.
Because plastic is also stable, it accumulates in the oceans, where it gradually breaks down into smaller pieces, from macro to micro and nanoplastics and can even enter the human bloodstream.
The flood of plastic waste will certainly get worse if humans don't do something about this problem. To note, global plastic production is expected to double by 2045.
The consequences will be very serious. Currently, almost all investigated marine organisms are known to come into contact with plastic debris and microplastics. This applies to all regions of the world's oceans, from tropical coasts to the deepest ocean trenches.
"The Arctic is still considered a largely untouched wilderness. In a review we conducted with colleagues from Norway, Canada and the Netherlands, we showed that this perception no longer reflects reality," said AWI expert Dr Melanie Bergmann.
"Our northernmost ecosystem has already been badly hit by climate change. It is now being exacerbated by plastic pollution. And our own research has shown that pollution continues to worsen."
Although the Arctic is sparsely populated, in almost all habitats, from beaches and ponds, to the ocean floor, it exhibits the same levels of plastic pollution as densely populated areas around the world. This pollution comes from local and distant sources.
Ocean currents from the Atlantic and North Seas, as well as from the North Pacific over the Bering Strait, contribute to this. Small microplastic particles are also carried north by the wind.
Not to mention the garbage sent from the river. Although the Arctic Ocean makes up only 1% of the total volume of the world's oceans, it receives more than 10% of global water discharge from rivers, which carry plastic into the ocean, for example, from Siberia.
When seawater off the coast of Siberia freezes in autumn, microplastics are suspended and trapped in the ice. Then Transpolar Drift transports the floating ice to the Fram Strait between Greenland and Svalbard, where it melts in summer, releasing its plastic cargo.
"Our review shows that levels of plastic pollution in the Arctic are the same as in other regions around the world. This is in accordance with model simulations that predict additional zones of accumulation in the Arctic," said Bergmann.
He warned, the consequences of plastic pollution in the Arctic region may be more serious. As climate change progresses, the Arctic is warming three times faster than the rest of the world. As a result, the plastic flood hit an already highly strained ecosystem. The resolution for the global plastics treaty, passed at the UN Environment Assembly in February this year, is an important first step.
During the negotiations over the next two years, effective and legally binding measures should be adopted including targets for reducing plastic production. In this case, European countries must cut their plastic production, just as the rich Arctic countries must reduce pollution from local sources and improve the management of sewage and wastewater that is often almost non-existent in their communities.
"Besides, more regulation and control is needed regarding plastic waste from international shipping, and fisheries," he concluded.