ORCID
- Richard C. Thompson: 0000-0003-2262-6621
Abstract
Some of the highest microplastic concentrations in marine environments have been reported from the Fram Strait in the Arctic. This region supports a diverse ecosystem dependent on high concentrations of zooplankton at the base of the food web. Zooplankton samples were collected during research cruises using Bongo and MOCNESS nets in the boreal summers of 2018 and 2019. Using FTIR scanning spectroscopy in combination with an automated polymer identification approach, we show that all five species of Arctic zooplankton investigated had ingested microplastics. Amphipod species, found in surface waters or closely associated with sea ice, had ingested significantly more microplastic per individual (Themisto libellula: 1.8, Themisto abyssorrum: 1, Apherusa glacialis: 1) than copepod species (Calanus hyperboreus: 0.21, Calanus glacialis/finmarchicus: 0.01). The majority of microplastics ingested were below 50 μm in size, all were fragments and several different polymer types were present. We quantified microplastics in water samples collected at six of the same stations as the Calanus using an underway sampling system (inlet at 6.5 m water depth). Fragments of several polymer types and anthropogenic cellulosic fibres were present, with an average concentration of 7 microplastic particles (MP) L−1 (0–18.5 MP L−1). In comparison to the water samples, those microplastics found ingested by zooplankton were significantly smaller, highlighting that the smaller-sized microplastics were being selected for by the zooplankton. High levels of microplastic ingestion in zooplankton have been associated with negative effects on growth, development, and fecundity. As Arctic zooplankton only have a short window of biological productivity, any negative effect could have broad consequences. As global plastic consumption continues to increase and climate change continues to reduce sea ice cover, releasing ice-bound microplastics and leaving ice free areas open to exploitation, the Arctic could be exposed to further plastic pollution which could place additional strain on this fragile ecosystem.
DOI Link
Publication Date
2022-07-20
Publication Title
Science of the Total Environment
Volume
831
ISSN
0048-9697
Acceptance Date
2022-03-24
Deposit Date
2022-04-29
Embargo Period
2022-04-30
Funding
We thank the captains and crews of the RV Polarstern and RRS James Clark Ross during research cruises PS114 and JR18007 and Benjamin Meyer, Dan Mayor, Florence Atherdon, Holly Jenkins, and Claudia Castelli for help in collecting zooplankton samples. We are grateful to Helen Parry and Claudia Lorenz for instruction and preparation of the SDS homogenising solution and to Rachel Coppock, Chris Walkinshaw and Matthew Cole for their help and advice in developing the methodology. We are thankful to Jes Vollersten for his time and help with the SIMPLE software. ZLRB would like to thank Nicola Beaumont for her supervisory role. We are very grateful to the PML BCT committee, H&S and technical teams for their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that PML could remain open and that ZLRB could have access to continue sample processing. ZLRB was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through the EnvEast Doctoral Training Partnership (grant number: NE/L002582/1). Financial support for author PKL was provided by the Changing Arctic Ocean (CAO) Programme DIAPOD, funded by UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC; NE/P006183/1). This work contributes to the Pollution Observatory of the Helmholtz Association-funded infrastructure program FRAM (Frontiers in Arctic Marine Research), which funded NH. MB and TK were funded by the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren. This publication is Eprint ID 54462 of the Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar und Meeresforschung. We thank the editor and four anonymous reviewers for their constructive and insightful feedback that improved the manuscript.
Keywords
Amphipod, Bioavailability, Copepod, Marine litter, Microplastic ingestion, Plastic pollution
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Botterell, Z., Bergmann, M., Hildebrandt, N., Krumpen, T., Steinke, M., Thompson, R., & Lindeque, P. (2022) 'Microplastic ingestion in zooplankton from the Fram Strait in the Arctic', Science of the Total Environment, 831. Available at: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154886
