Centre for Earth Observation Science and Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
Centre for Earth Observation Science and Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Aug;145:463-473. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.06.029. Epub 2019 Jun 24.
Microplastics (plastic particles <5 mm) are an emerging concern in Arctic sea ice with measured concentrations orders of magnitude higher than in surface seawater. However, incorporation of microplastics into sea ice, and their impact on sea ice properties, is unknown. We added microplastic particles in a microcosm experiment to determine microplastic distributions and effects on sea ice properties. Microplastic additions did not affect sea ice growth, but high concentrations of microplastics at the ice surface resulted in high ice salinity and changes in sea ice albedo. Field studies in the Gulf of Bothnia (Baltic Sea) showed sea ice concentration of microplastics from 8 to 41 particles per liter of melted ice, wich were much lower than those found to impact sea ice properties in the microcosm experiments. However, should microplastic concentrations increase, microplastic incorporation in sea ice may impact sea ice albedo.
微塑料(粒径<5mm 的塑料颗粒)是北极海冰中一个新出现的关注点,其浓度比表层海水中的浓度高出几个数量级。然而,微塑料进入海冰的情况及其对海冰性质的影响尚不清楚。我们在一个微宇宙实验中添加了微塑料颗粒,以确定微塑料的分布及其对海冰性质的影响。微塑料的添加并没有影响海冰的生长,但在冰面存在高浓度的微塑料会导致高冰盐度和海冰反照率的变化。在波的尼亚湾(波罗的海)的实地研究表明,融化冰中微塑料的浓度为每升 8 到 41 个颗粒,远低于在微宇宙实验中发现的对海冰性质有影响的浓度。然而,如果微塑料浓度增加,微塑料在海冰中的掺入可能会影响海冰的反照率。