Microplastics Found in Antarctica's Sea Ice, Aquatic Life at Risk

In a first, microplastics have been found in sea ice in Antarctica which shows up to what extent water pollution has traversed the Earth, not even sparing the remote wilderness.

Although microplastics have been reported to be previously found in Antarctica's surface such as ice sheets, surface waters etc, but this recent discovery could mean a real threat for the krills, which feed on the algae from the sea ice.

In a study published by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, it states that a total of 14 different kind of plastics were found and an average of 12 pieces of plastics were found from per litre of water.

According to The Guardian, Anna Kelly, the lead author of the study said that the microplastic polymers were larger than that found in Arctic and that could indicate some kind of local pollution including the clothing and equipments used by tourists and researchers or in fact even the residue from the fishing industry.

Another co-author of the study also stated that the plastics were surrounded by algae, which had grown in the ice. There was a higher concentration of the plastic at the bottom of the ice core.

The study also emphasises on the fact that the sea ice is primary food for krill, which is a "keystone species in Southern Ocean ecosystems" and vital for marine predators higher up the food chain.

“When you think now that sea ice algae is associated to plastics, you can think about the bioaccumulation of the plastics in krill and in whales.”

However, the authors said that more study and analysis are needed to understand the toxic impacts of the plastics on the anatomy of the species relying on the sea ice.