First Evidence of Microplastic Occurrence in the Marine and Freshwater Environments in a Remote Polar Region of the Kola Peninsula and a Correlation with Human Presence
Microplastics (MPs) have even been detected in remote environments, including high-latitude regions, where human activities are restricted or strongly limited. We investigated the surface water of the bays of the Barents Sea and the freshwater lakes that are located close to and several kilometers f...
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MDPI AG
2023
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020259 https://doaj.org/article/739102e33c7442479dcce33a2aee94d5 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:739102e33c7442479dcce33a2aee94d5 2023-10-09T21:50:12+02:00 First Evidence of Microplastic Occurrence in the Marine and Freshwater Environments in a Remote Polar Region of the Kola Peninsula and a Correlation with Human Presence Anita Kaliszewicz Ninel Panteleeva Kamil Karaban Tomasz Runka Michał Winczek Ewa Beck Agnieszka Poniatowska Izabella Olejniczak Paweł Boniecki Elena V. Golovanova Jerzy Romanowski 2023-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020259 https://doaj.org/article/739102e33c7442479dcce33a2aee94d5 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/2/259 https://doaj.org/toc/2079-7737 doi:10.3390/biology12020259 2079-7737 https://doaj.org/article/739102e33c7442479dcce33a2aee94d5 Biology, Vol 12, Iss 259, p 259 (2023) microfibers anthropogenic impact water pollution rayon Raman spectroscopy Biology (General) QH301-705.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020259 2023-09-10T00:42:26Z Microplastics (MPs) have even been detected in remote environments, including high-latitude regions, where human activities are restricted or strongly limited. We investigated the surface water of the bays of the Barents Sea and the freshwater lakes that are located close to and several kilometers from a year-round resident field station in the remote tundra region of the Kola Peninsula. The microplastics’ presence in aquatic environments in this region has not been indicated yet. Microplastics were detected in all samples collected from the Barents Sea (<4800 items·m −3 ) and the lakes (<3900 items·m −3 ). Fibers made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET)—the most common thermoplastic polymer of the polyester family—and semi-synthetic cellulosic rayon were the most dominant. This indicated that the source of fiber contamination may come from protective clothes, ropes, ship equipment, and fishing nets. Small microplastics can spread through current and atmospheric transport. The Norwegian Current is likely responsible for the lack of correlations found between MP contamination and the distance from the field station between the studied bays of the Barents Sea. On the contrary, a significant correlation with human presence was observed in the concentration of microfibers in the water of the tundra lakes. The number of MP fibers decreased with an increase in the distance from the field station. This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, that reports such a correlation in a remote region. We also discuss implications for animals. Our results show that even the most isolated ecosystems are not free from microplastic pollution. Article in Journal/Newspaper Barents Sea kola peninsula Tundra Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Barents Sea Kola Peninsula Biology 12 2 259 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
microfibers anthropogenic impact water pollution rayon Raman spectroscopy Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
spellingShingle |
microfibers anthropogenic impact water pollution rayon Raman spectroscopy Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Anita Kaliszewicz Ninel Panteleeva Kamil Karaban Tomasz Runka Michał Winczek Ewa Beck Agnieszka Poniatowska Izabella Olejniczak Paweł Boniecki Elena V. Golovanova Jerzy Romanowski First Evidence of Microplastic Occurrence in the Marine and Freshwater Environments in a Remote Polar Region of the Kola Peninsula and a Correlation with Human Presence |
topic_facet |
microfibers anthropogenic impact water pollution rayon Raman spectroscopy Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
description |
Microplastics (MPs) have even been detected in remote environments, including high-latitude regions, where human activities are restricted or strongly limited. We investigated the surface water of the bays of the Barents Sea and the freshwater lakes that are located close to and several kilometers from a year-round resident field station in the remote tundra region of the Kola Peninsula. The microplastics’ presence in aquatic environments in this region has not been indicated yet. Microplastics were detected in all samples collected from the Barents Sea (<4800 items·m −3 ) and the lakes (<3900 items·m −3 ). Fibers made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET)—the most common thermoplastic polymer of the polyester family—and semi-synthetic cellulosic rayon were the most dominant. This indicated that the source of fiber contamination may come from protective clothes, ropes, ship equipment, and fishing nets. Small microplastics can spread through current and atmospheric transport. The Norwegian Current is likely responsible for the lack of correlations found between MP contamination and the distance from the field station between the studied bays of the Barents Sea. On the contrary, a significant correlation with human presence was observed in the concentration of microfibers in the water of the tundra lakes. The number of MP fibers decreased with an increase in the distance from the field station. This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, that reports such a correlation in a remote region. We also discuss implications for animals. Our results show that even the most isolated ecosystems are not free from microplastic pollution. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Anita Kaliszewicz Ninel Panteleeva Kamil Karaban Tomasz Runka Michał Winczek Ewa Beck Agnieszka Poniatowska Izabella Olejniczak Paweł Boniecki Elena V. Golovanova Jerzy Romanowski |
author_facet |
Anita Kaliszewicz Ninel Panteleeva Kamil Karaban Tomasz Runka Michał Winczek Ewa Beck Agnieszka Poniatowska Izabella Olejniczak Paweł Boniecki Elena V. Golovanova Jerzy Romanowski |
author_sort |
Anita Kaliszewicz |
title |
First Evidence of Microplastic Occurrence in the Marine and Freshwater Environments in a Remote Polar Region of the Kola Peninsula and a Correlation with Human Presence |
title_short |
First Evidence of Microplastic Occurrence in the Marine and Freshwater Environments in a Remote Polar Region of the Kola Peninsula and a Correlation with Human Presence |
title_full |
First Evidence of Microplastic Occurrence in the Marine and Freshwater Environments in a Remote Polar Region of the Kola Peninsula and a Correlation with Human Presence |
title_fullStr |
First Evidence of Microplastic Occurrence in the Marine and Freshwater Environments in a Remote Polar Region of the Kola Peninsula and a Correlation with Human Presence |
title_full_unstemmed |
First Evidence of Microplastic Occurrence in the Marine and Freshwater Environments in a Remote Polar Region of the Kola Peninsula and a Correlation with Human Presence |
title_sort |
first evidence of microplastic occurrence in the marine and freshwater environments in a remote polar region of the kola peninsula and a correlation with human presence |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020259 https://doaj.org/article/739102e33c7442479dcce33a2aee94d5 |
geographic |
Barents Sea Kola Peninsula |
geographic_facet |
Barents Sea Kola Peninsula |
genre |
Barents Sea kola peninsula Tundra |
genre_facet |
Barents Sea kola peninsula Tundra |
op_source |
Biology, Vol 12, Iss 259, p 259 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/2/259 https://doaj.org/toc/2079-7737 doi:10.3390/biology12020259 2079-7737 https://doaj.org/article/739102e33c7442479dcce33a2aee94d5 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020259 |
container_title |
Biology |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
259 |
_version_ |
1779313268891844608 |