ARKHANGELSK, July 15. /TASS/. Scientists are sampling seawater and sediments for microplastics in the Barents Sea during the Arctic Floating University expedition. Alexandra Yershova, head of the Plastilab laboratory at the Russian State Hydrometeorology University, told TASS from aboard the Professor Molchanov research vessel that during this expedition, researchers would determine relations between the content of microplastics and persistent organic pollutants in marine environment's components.
"A new direction in our research it is, as we are looking for microplastics in the aquatic environment, in bottom sediments of the Barents Sea, and we also focus on additional studies that identify persistent organic pollutants in those environments. It is well known that various types of persistent organic pollutants are associated with plastics: they may be part of plastics, they may "stick" to them during the plastic objects' life cycle. Presently, scientists around the world are facing a new challenge to understand how much they are related, whether there is a connection between concentrations of microplastics and those chemicals in the environment, and what happens between them," the expert said.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic organic compounds that are resistant to decomposition and they may remain in the environment for a long time. These include some pesticides, industrial chemicals, and a number of combustion products and products of chemical processes. Samples for POPs will be tested at Novosibirsk's Vorozhtsov Institute of Organic Chemistry (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch).
Microplastics circulation in the Barents Sea
Of the Russian Arctic seas, the Barents Sea is most polluted, and microplastics concentration there is significantly higher than in other Arctic seas, she continued. Scientists can see significant variability in microplastics concentrations in the Barents Sea, and indicators differ in its different parts. The closer to the Kola Peninsula, the higher are concentrations of microplastics. The main sources of pollution are from shipping and, in addition, plastics from the Atlantic are brought in by the Murmansk current. "However, we also have quite high concentrations of microplastics in the north of Novaya Zemlya. This has been confirmed by our long-term observations. While along the Murmansk coast we detect up to 20 particles per cubic meter of seawater, in the north of Novaya Zemlya, in the area of the so-called "dead end", where Atlantic currents rest on Novaya Zemlya, carrying a significant amount of plastic to the shores, we can see concentrations of 8-10 particles per cubic meter," she said.
The microplastics concentration in the Barents Sea remains constant, and so far researchers have not seen an increase in its content. This is due to the fact that plastic particles gradually sink into the water column and settle to the bottom.
"There happen very complex processes. These particles settle, and then they rise at some levels. But clearly, sooner or later they are buried in the bottom sediments. That is why we now actively focus on bottom sediments to understand the amount of microplastics accumulated there and how much their concentrations are changing," the scientist added. Experts cannot say what amounts of microplastics have accumulated on the Barents Sea bottom, as studies have just begun.
About the expedition
The Professor Molchanov departed from Arkhangelsk on July 9, and the expedition will continue to August 1. The project's sponsors and partners are Russia's Ministry of Science and Higher Education, VTB Bank (the general sponsor), the Russian Geographical Society, the Norilsk Nickel Company, and the Floating University Coordination Center based at MIPT.