Microplastics in sub-surface waters of the Arctic Central Basin

• Polar oceans, though remote in location, are not immune to the accumulation of plastic debris. The present study, investigated for the first time, the abundance, distribution and composition of microplastics in sub-surface waters of the Arctic Central Basin. Microplastic sampling was carried out using the bow water system of icebreaker Oden (single depth: 8.5 m) and CTD rosette sampler (multiple depths: 8–4369 m). Potential microplastics were isolated and analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Bow water sampling revealed that the median microplastic abundance in near surface waters of the Polar Mixed Layer (PML) was 0.7 particles m−3. Regarding the vertical distribution of microplastics in the ACB, microplastic abundance (particles m−3) in the different water masses was as follows: Polar Mixed Layer (0–375) > Deep and bottom waters (0–104) > Atlantic water (0–95) > Halocline i.e. Atlantic or Pacific (0–83). © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Oceanografi, hydrologi och vattenresurser (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Oceanography, Hydrology and Water Resources (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Vattenteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Water Engineering (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Geokemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geochemistry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Arctic Ocean

Marine debris

Microplastic

Pollution

Sub-surface waters

Water column

Debris

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Marine pollution

Population distribution

River pollution

Surface waters

Atlantic water

Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) spectroscopy

Vertical distributions

Water columns

Water sampling

Water pollution

plastic

unclassified drug

geoaccumulation

ice breaker

mixed layer

sampling

vertical distribution

water mass

Arctic

Article

Atlantic Ocean

chemical composition

environmental temperature

infrared spectroscopy

Pacific Ocean

salinity

sea surface waters

water analysis

Sub-surface waters

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)