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Snow sample: Scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute with the onboard helicopter of the research ship »Polarstern«
Photo: Kajetan Deja / AWI / Helmholtz Center / dpa
According to a recent survey study, the Arctic is heavily littered with plastic.
High concentrations of microplastics can be found in the water, on the seabed, on uninhabited beaches, in rivers and even in ice and snow, report researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
This has consequences for the living beings there, but possibly also for the climate.
The Arctic is still perceived as largely untouched wilderness - but that no longer corresponds to reality, said AWI biologist Melanie Bergmann, co-author of the analysis.
Not only is climate change hitting the northern latitudes particularly hard, the plastic flood has also reached the Arctic Ocean.
"Our study shows that plastic pollution in the Arctic is already similar to that in other regions of the world."
For the overview, the AWI team, together with researchers from Norway, Canada and the Netherlands, evaluated and summarized studies on the entry of plastic into the Arctic region.
Around 19 to 23 million tons of plastic waste end up in the world's waters every year, which corresponds to almost two truckloads per minute, according to the AWI.
Because plastic is particularly stable, it accumulates in the oceans and breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces over time.
And the flood of waste is likely to increase: by 2045, global plastic production is expected to double.
Fishing nets discarded in the sea
According to the overview study, a large part of the plastic waste in the European part of the Arctic comes from fishing: nets and ropes are intentionally disposed of in the sea or are lost.
Garbage enters the sea from arctic settlements, but also comes from far away.
In particular, ocean currents from the Atlantic and the North Sea and via the Bering Strait from the North Pacific contribute to the influx.
The rivers also bring plastic with them, including from Siberia.
Air carries small microplastics north.
Bergmann explained that there have only been a few studies on the effects of the plastic flood specifically on Arctic marine organisms.
However, there is much to suggest that the consequences are just as serious as in better-studied regions.
For example, ingested microplastics are likely to lead to reduced growth and reproduction, physiological stress and inflammatory responses in the tissues of marine animals in the Arctic as well.
Apart from the negative effects of plastic on marine organisms, it could also promote climate change.
"There is an urgent need for research here," said Bergmann.
"Because initial studies provide evidence that trapped microplastics change the properties of sea ice and snow."
Dark particles in the ice could therefore cause it to absorb more sunlight and thus melt faster.
This in turn increases global warming.
In addition, plastic particles in the atmosphere form condensation nuclei for clouds and rain, which could affect the weather and the climate in the long term.
"The flood of plastic hits ecosystems that are already extremely stressed," emphasized Bergmann.
The Arctic is heating up three times faster than the rest of the world as a result of climate change.
ak/dpa