Synthetic fibres discovered in Antarctic samples show the ‘pristine’ continent is now a sink for plastic pollution

Research indicates that microplastics are being trapped during the creation of the sea ice layer every year. ‘Our discovery of microplastics in seabed sediment samples has revealed evidence of a plastic sink in the depths of the Antarctic waters’, said Professor Woodall. ‘Yet again we have seen that plastic pollution is being transported great distances by wind, ice, and sea currents. The results of our research collectively demonstrate the vital importance of reducing plastic pollution globally.’Scientists on the Weddell Sea Expedition taking ice core samples. The study ‘The transport and fate of microplastic fibres in the Antarctic: The role of multiple global processes’ can be read in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.