UN Photo/Mark Garten. The IAEA is studying the presence of microplastics in remote areas of Antarctica.
The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is using nuclear techniques to investigate the presence of microplastics in Antarctica to further explore solutions to the global plastic pollution problem.
The IAEA's research team, in collaboration with Argentina, embarked on a month-long research mission to Antarctica over the weekend to assess the impact of microplastics on the once-unpolluted Antarctic environment.
The widespread impact of microplastics
In 2009, researchers at the University of Tasmania sampled sea ice in eastern Antarctica and found microplastics – plastic particles less than five millimetres in diameter – on the solid ice off the coast of Antarctica for the first time.
Speaking at the launch of the mission, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said: "The discovery of microplastics in the once inaccessible Antarctic environment is a testament to the impact of this widespread harmful contaminant. ”
The researchers plan to investigate the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in seawater, lakes, sediments, sand, discharge water and animals in the Antarctic ecosystem near the Carlini scientific research station in Argentina.
Nuclear techniques are used to control plastic pollution
The Antarctic expedition, conducted through the IAEA's Nuclear Techniques for Controlling Plastic Pollution Initiative, will use radiation techniques to monitor the presence of microplastics in 22 sites near the Kallini research site.
They will take seawater samples from 12 sites, sediment samples from 4 sites, 3 samples from lakes, and samples from 3 different beaches. The team will also monitor the presence of microplastics in organisms by collecting droppings from clams, limpets and penguins.
About 70% of all plastic currently produced in the world ends up in waste, and only 9% of it is recycled.
Grossi said microplastics are a global problem, but the international community still lacks the scientific data needed to make informed decisions. This is the goal of the Nuclear Techniques for Controlling Plastic Pollution initiative: by understanding where plastic comes from, where it moves, and how it impacts, we can make informed decisions about how to address it.
