Debris

Antarctic sea ice

Arctic ice pack

Geology

Oceanography

Microplastics

Sea ice

Environmental science

Marine debris

Seawater

Marine Pollution Bulletin

The durability of plastics in the marine environment has led to concerns regarding the pervasiveness of this debris in remote polar habitats. Microplastic (MP) enrichment in East Antarctic sea ice was measured in one ice core sampled from coastal land-fast sea ice. The core was processed and filtered material was analyzed using micro Fourier-Transform Infrared (μFTIR) spectroscopy. 96 MP particles were identified, averaging 11.71 particles L −1 . The most common MP polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyamide) were consistent with those most frequently represented in the majority of marine MP studies. Sea-ice MP concentrations were positively related with chlorophyll a, suggesting living biomass could assist in incorporating MPs in sea ice. Our preliminary results indicate that sea ice has the potential to serve as a reservoir for MP debris in the Southern Ocean, which may have consequences for Southern Ocean food webs and biogeochemistry. • 14 polymer types are identified in microplastic samples from Antarctic sea ice. • Microplastic concentrations in sea ice are higher than in Southern Ocean seawater samples. • Relatively large particle sizes suggest local pollution sources.

Microplastic contamination in east Antarctic sea ice