Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, I-20131, Milano, Italy.
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, I-20131, Milano, Italy.
Environ Pollut. 2019 Oct;253:297-301. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.07.005. Epub 2019 Jul 9.
Contamination by plastic debris has been documented in most regions of the world, but their occurrence in high mountain areas has not been investigated to date. Here we present the first report of the occurrence and amount of microplastic in any terrestrial glacier environment. In the supraglacial debris of the Forni Glacier (Italian Alps), we observed the occurrence of (mean ± standard error) 74.4 ± 28.3 items kg of sediment (dry weight). This amount is within the range of variability of microplastic contamination observed in marine and coastal sediments in Europe. Most plastic items were made by polyesters, followed by polyamide, polyethylene and polypropylene. We estimated that the whole ablation area of Forni Glacier should host 131-162 million plastic items. Microplastic can be released directly into high elevation areas by human activities in the mountain or be transported by wind to high altitude. The occurrence of microplastic on Forni Glacier may be due to the gathering of debris coming from the large accumulation area into the relatively smaller ablation area of the glacier, as a consequence of its flow and melting.
塑料碎片的污染已在世界上大多数地区得到证实，但迄今为止，尚未对高山地区的污染情况进行调查。在这里，我们首次报告了微塑料在任何陆地冰川环境中的存在和数量。在福尔尼冰川（意大利阿尔卑斯山）的冰上碎屑中，我们观察到（平均值±标准误差）74.4±28.3 个 kg 的沉积物（干重）中存在微塑料。这一数量在欧洲海洋和沿海沉积物中观察到的微塑料污染的变化范围内。大多数塑料物品由聚酯制成，其次是聚酰胺、聚乙烯和聚丙烯。我们估计，福尔尼冰川的整个消融区应容纳 1.31 亿至 1.62 亿个塑料物品。微塑料可以通过人类在山区的活动直接释放到高海拔地区，也可以通过风被输送到高海拔地区。福尔尼冰川上微塑料的存在可能是由于大量碎屑聚集到冰川较小的消融区，从而导致其流动和融化。
