ORCID
- Thompson, Richard: 0000-0003-2262-6621
Abstract
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd 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).
DOI
10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.011
Publication Date
2018-05-01
Publication Title
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Volume
130
ISSN
0025-326X
Embargo Period
2019-03-09
Organisational Unit
School of Biological and Marine Sciences
First Page
8
Last Page
18
Recommended Citation
Kanhai, L. D., Gårdfeldt, K., Lyashevska, O., Hassellöv, M., Thompson, R., & O'Connor, I. (2018) 'Microplastics in sub-surface waters of the Arctic Central Basin', Marine Pollution Bulletin, 130, pp. 8-18. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.03.011
