A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut
Microplastics are a globally ubiquitous contaminant, invading the most remote regions, including the Arctic. To date, our understanding of the distribution and sources of microplastics in the Arctic is limited but growing. This study aims to advance our understanding of microplastics in the Arctic....
Published in: | FACETS |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
2020
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0042 https://doaj.org/article/5f2caf9396ac4b7d826d749c3d41f979 |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5f2caf9396ac4b7d826d749c3d41f979 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5f2caf9396ac4b7d826d749c3d41f979 2023-05-15T14:33:49+02:00 A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut Aimee Huntington Patricia L. Corcoran Liisa Jantunen Clara Thaysen Sarah Bernstein Gary A. Stern Chelsea M. Rochman 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0042 https://doaj.org/article/5f2caf9396ac4b7d826d749c3d41f979 EN eng Canadian Science Publishing https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/full/10.1139/facets-2019-0042 https://doaj.org/toc/2371-1671 doi:10.1139/facets-2019-0042 2371-1671 https://doaj.org/article/5f2caf9396ac4b7d826d749c3d41f979 FACETS, Vol 5, Iss 1, Pp 432-454 (2020) microplastic arctic canada zooplankton water sediment plastic Education L Science Q article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0042 2022-12-31T07:03:15Z Microplastics are a globally ubiquitous contaminant, invading the most remote regions, including the Arctic. To date, our understanding of the distribution and sources of microplastics in the Arctic is limited but growing. This study aims to advance our understanding of microplastics in the Arctic. Surface water, zooplankton, sediment, and snow samples were collected from Hudson Bay to north Baffin Bay onboard the CCGS Amundsen from July to August 2017. Samples were examined for microplastics, which were chemically identified via Raman spectroscopy for surface water and zooplankton and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for sediment. We found that 90% of surface water and zooplankton samples, and 85% of sediment samples, contained microplastics or other anthropogenic particles. Mean anthropogenic particle concentrations, which includes microplastics, were 0.22 ± 0.23 (per litre) for surface water, 3.51 ± 4.00 (per gram) for zooplankton, and 1.94 ± 4.12 (per gram) for sediment. These concentrations were not related to the human populations upstream, suggesting that microplastic contamination in the Arctic is from long-range transport. Overall, this study highlights the presence of microplastics across the eastern Canadian Arctic, in multiple media, and offers evidence of long-range transport via ocean and atmospheric currents. Further research is needed to better understand sources, distribution, and effects to Arctic ecosystems. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Hudson Bay Nunavut Zooplankton Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Nunavut Hudson Bay Baffin Bay Canada Hudson FACETS 5 1 432 454 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
microplastic arctic canada zooplankton water sediment plastic Education L Science Q |
spellingShingle |
microplastic arctic canada zooplankton water sediment plastic Education L Science Q Aimee Huntington Patricia L. Corcoran Liisa Jantunen Clara Thaysen Sarah Bernstein Gary A. Stern Chelsea M. Rochman A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut |
topic_facet |
microplastic arctic canada zooplankton water sediment plastic Education L Science Q |
description |
Microplastics are a globally ubiquitous contaminant, invading the most remote regions, including the Arctic. To date, our understanding of the distribution and sources of microplastics in the Arctic is limited but growing. This study aims to advance our understanding of microplastics in the Arctic. Surface water, zooplankton, sediment, and snow samples were collected from Hudson Bay to north Baffin Bay onboard the CCGS Amundsen from July to August 2017. Samples were examined for microplastics, which were chemically identified via Raman spectroscopy for surface water and zooplankton and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for sediment. We found that 90% of surface water and zooplankton samples, and 85% of sediment samples, contained microplastics or other anthropogenic particles. Mean anthropogenic particle concentrations, which includes microplastics, were 0.22 ± 0.23 (per litre) for surface water, 3.51 ± 4.00 (per gram) for zooplankton, and 1.94 ± 4.12 (per gram) for sediment. These concentrations were not related to the human populations upstream, suggesting that microplastic contamination in the Arctic is from long-range transport. Overall, this study highlights the presence of microplastics across the eastern Canadian Arctic, in multiple media, and offers evidence of long-range transport via ocean and atmospheric currents. Further research is needed to better understand sources, distribution, and effects to Arctic ecosystems. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Aimee Huntington Patricia L. Corcoran Liisa Jantunen Clara Thaysen Sarah Bernstein Gary A. Stern Chelsea M. Rochman |
author_facet |
Aimee Huntington Patricia L. Corcoran Liisa Jantunen Clara Thaysen Sarah Bernstein Gary A. Stern Chelsea M. Rochman |
author_sort |
Aimee Huntington |
title |
A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut |
title_short |
A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut |
title_full |
A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut |
title_fullStr |
A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut |
title_full_unstemmed |
A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut |
title_sort |
first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in hudson bay and the surrounding eastern canadian arctic waters of nunavut |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0042 https://doaj.org/article/5f2caf9396ac4b7d826d749c3d41f979 |
geographic |
Arctic Nunavut Hudson Bay Baffin Bay Canada Hudson |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Nunavut Hudson Bay Baffin Bay Canada Hudson |
genre |
Arctic Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Hudson Bay Nunavut Zooplankton |
genre_facet |
Arctic Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Hudson Bay Nunavut Zooplankton |
op_source |
FACETS, Vol 5, Iss 1, Pp 432-454 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/full/10.1139/facets-2019-0042 https://doaj.org/toc/2371-1671 doi:10.1139/facets-2019-0042 2371-1671 https://doaj.org/article/5f2caf9396ac4b7d826d749c3d41f979 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2019-0042 |
container_title |
FACETS |
container_volume |
5 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
432 |
op_container_end_page |
454 |
_version_ |
1766307004900442112 |