Microplastics have been found in the slot snows of Antarctica for the first time ever, according to a study published Tuesday. The finding could mean microplastics, which are formed when plastics degrade, are causing ecological damage to marine environments, climate and organisms.
Before now, data from Antarctic snows has been mostly absent, although microplastics have already been found in deep sea sediments, marine sediments, seas and surface waters of the region.
"The implications of microplastics reaching remote regions such as Antarctica are vast," said the study, published in the European Geosciences Union journal The Cryosphere. "Antarctic organisms have adapted to extreme environmental conditions over many millions of years, and the rapid environmental changes ... are threatening the unique ecosystems."
Researchers collected 19 samples between Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, 2019, from sites across Ross Island, Antarctica. Six were from locations near research stations and 13 from "remote locations with minimal human disturbance." Suspected microplastics were chemically identified at a lab in New Zealand.