Arctic Sea Archives - One Earth - One Ocean e. V. https://oneearth-oneocean.com/category/arctic-sea/ Mon, 05 Jun 2017 19:21:32 +0000 de-DE hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 https://oneearth-oneocean.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cropped-oeoo-logo-unterzeile-blau-1-32x32.jpg Arctic Sea Archives - One Earth - One Ocean e. V. https://oneearth-oneocean.com/category/arctic-sea/ 32 32 Marine debris in five national parks in Alaska https://oneearth-oneocean.com/north-pacific/2017/marine-debris-in-five-national-parks-in-alaska/ Mon, 05 Jun 2017 19:21:32 +0000 http://www.oneearth-oneocean.com/kb/?p=1324 L. Polasek, J. Bering, H. Kim, P. Neitlich, B. Pister, M. Terwilliger, K. Nicolato, C. Turner, T. Jones, Marine debris in five national parks in Alaska, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 117, Issues 1–2, 15 April 2017, Pages 371-379, ISSN 0025-326X, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.085. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17301133) Abstract: Abstract Marine debris is a management issue with ecological and recreational impacts for agencies, especially on remote beaches not accessible by road. This project was implemented to remove and document marine debris from five coastal National Park Service units in Alaska. Approximately 80 km of coastline were cleaned with over 10,000 kg of debris collected. Marine debris was found at all 28 beaches surveyed. Hard plastics were found on every beach and foam was found at every beach except one. Rope/netting was the next most commonly found category, present at 23 beaches. Overall, plastic contributed to 60% of the total weight of debris. Rope/netting (14.6%) was a greater proportion of the weight from all beaches than foam (13.3%). Non-ferrous metal contributed the smallest amount of debris by weight (1.7%). The work forms a reference condition dataset of debris surveyed in the Western Arctic and the Gulf of Alaska within one season. Keywords: Alaska; Marine debris; National Park Service

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]]> L. Polasek, J. Bering, H. Kim, P. Neitlich, B. Pister, M. Terwilliger,
K. Nicolato, C. Turner, T. Jones, Marine debris in five national parks
in Alaska, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 117, Issues 1–2, 15 April
2017, Pages 371-379, ISSN 0025-326X,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.01.085.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X17301133)
Abstract: Abstract
Marine debris is a management issue with ecological and recreational
impacts for agencies, especially on remote beaches not accessible by
road. This project was implemented to remove and document marine debris
from five coastal National Park Service units in Alaska. Approximately
80 km of coastline were cleaned with over 10,000 kg of debris collected.
Marine debris was found at all 28 beaches surveyed. Hard plastics were
found on every beach and foam was found at every beach except one.
Rope/netting was the next most commonly found category, present at 23
beaches. Overall, plastic contributed to 60% of the total weight of
debris. Rope/netting (14.6%) was a greater proportion of the weight from
all beaches than foam (13.3%). Non-ferrous metal contributed the
smallest amount of debris by weight (1.7%). The work forms a reference
condition dataset of debris surveyed in the Western Arctic and the Gulf
of Alaska within one season.
Keywords: Alaska; Marine debris; National Park Service

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]]> The Ocean’s Plastic Problem https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/the-oceans-plastic-problem/ https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/the-oceans-plastic-problem/#respond Thu, 25 Sep 2014 18:22:03 +0000 http://www.oneearth-oneocean.com/kb/?p=944 http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2014/09/11/oceans-plastic-problem The Ocean's Plastic Problem September 11, 2014 - 9:00am By Cami Tellez In her recent excursion to the Arctic, Dr. Rachel Obbard, assistant professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, noted an accumulation of plastic debris in the Arctic Ocean. A specialist in polar ice, Obbard was concerned about the volume of micro-plastic inside the ice of perhaps one of the most pristine areas of the planet. Most people are aware of the dangers of wildlife being caught in debris near land, but Obbard has determined the rippling effects that our ?plastic footprint? has had in even the most remote areas of the world. The use of plastic has increased dramatically over the past ten years. During that same ten year period, scientists who study ocean currents began to notice a similar and disturbing phenomena; the five major oceans act as whirling conveyor belts, carrying plastic debris, often invisible to the naked eye, into every main current of the ocean. Since this micro-plastic cannot be detected, it is almost impossible to quantify and record. Most of this micro-plastic ends up frozen when submerged in Arctic waters.

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]]> http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2014/09/11/oceans-plastic-problem The Ocean's Plastic Problem September 11, 2014 - 9:00am By Cami Tellez In her recent excursion to the Arctic, Dr. Rachel Obbard, assistant professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, noted an accumulation of plastic debris in the Arctic Ocean. A specialist in polar ice, Obbard was concerned about the volume of micro-plastic inside the ice of perhaps one of the most pristine areas of the planet. Most people are aware of the dangers of wildlife being caught in debris near land, but Obbard has determined the rippling effects that our ?plastic footprint? has had in even the most remote areas of the world. The use of plastic has increased dramatically over the past ten years. During that same ten year period, scientists who study ocean currents began to notice a similar and disturbing phenomena; the five major oceans act as whirling conveyor belts, carrying plastic debris, often invisible to the naked eye, into every main current of the ocean. Since this micro-plastic cannot be detected, it is almost impossible to quantify and record. Most of this micro-plastic ends up frozen when submerged in Arctic waters.

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]]> https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/the-oceans-plastic-problem/feed/ 0 Arctic Ice Melt Could Unlock Trillions of Frozen Microplastics https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/arctic-ice-melt-could-unlock-trillions-of-frozen-microplastics/ https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/arctic-ice-melt-could-unlock-trillions-of-frozen-microplastics/#respond Mon, 21 Jul 2014 21:19:05 +0000 http://www.oneearth-oneocean.com/kb/?p=741 http://oceana.org/en/blog/2014/05/arctic-ice-melt-could-unlock-trillions-of-frozen-microplastics Arctic Ice Melt Could Unlock Trillions of Frozen Microplastics Posted Fri, May 30, 2014 by Brianna Elliott Out of the nearly 300 million tons of plastic created in 2012, nearly 10 percent of it ended up in oceans, according to Phys.org. That trash has to go somewhere ? washing onto coastlines and estuaries, or floating in the vast ocean. You may have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area within the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre where an enormous amount of trash circulates. Now, however, it looks like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has an unassuming competitor in trapping marine debris: the Arctic. A recently published study in Earth?s Future found that a significant amount of microplastics, sub-millimeter broken down pieces of plastic, sit frozen in Arctic sea ice ? enough to designate the Arctic as a major global sink for these tiny plastic particles. If melting trends continue at their current rate, explain the authors, the sea ice could unlock over one trillion pieces of microplastics over the next decade alone.

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]]> http://oceana.org/en/blog/2014/05/arctic-ice-melt-could-unlock-trillions-of-frozen-microplastics Arctic Ice Melt Could Unlock Trillions of Frozen Microplastics Posted Fri, May 30, 2014 by Brianna Elliott Out of the nearly 300 million tons of plastic created in 2012, nearly 10 percent of it ended up in oceans, according to Phys.org. That trash has to go somewhere ? washing onto coastlines and estuaries, or floating in the vast ocean. You may have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area within the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre where an enormous amount of trash circulates. Now, however, it looks like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has an unassuming competitor in trapping marine debris: the Arctic. A recently published study in Earth?s Future found that a significant amount of microplastics, sub-millimeter broken down pieces of plastic, sit frozen in Arctic sea ice ? enough to designate the Arctic as a major global sink for these tiny plastic particles. If melting trends continue at their current rate, explain the authors, the sea ice could unlock over one trillion pieces of microplastics over the next decade alone.

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]]> https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/arctic-ice-melt-could-unlock-trillions-of-frozen-microplastics/feed/ 0 Arctic sea ice polluted with microplastics https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/arctic-sea-ice-polluted-with-microplastics/ https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/arctic-sea-ice-polluted-with-microplastics/#respond Mon, 21 Jul 2014 21:16:20 +0000 http://www.oneearth-oneocean.com/kb/?p=737 http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/arctic-sea-ice-polluted-with-microplastics-1.2660021 Arctic sea ice polluted with microplastics Pollutants may wind up in Arctic food chain as climate warms, ice melts CBC News Posted: May 30, 2014 4:33 PM ET Last Updated: May 30, 2014 5:34 PM ET Arctic sea ice has sopped up and stored large quantities of microplastic pollution from populated areas in the south, a new study has found. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic from microscopic to fingernail-sized that have been found polluting oceans and lakes around the world over the past decade, but not so far north as the Arctic Ocean. Scientists are concerned about them because they tend to suck up and concentrate other pollutants in the environment, which enter the food chain when animals swallow microplastics. Rachel Obbard, a materials scientist at Dartmouth College in New Hamphire, discovered that Arctic sea ice was contaminated with microplastics by accident when she melted the ice in order to count diatoms ? microscopic algae that live under the ice. http://www.cbc.ca/player/AudioMobile/Quirks%20and%20Quarks/ID/2461183367/

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]]> http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/arctic-sea-ice-polluted-with-microplastics-1.2660021 Arctic sea ice polluted with microplastics Pollutants may wind up in Arctic food chain as climate warms, ice melts CBC News Posted: May 30, 2014 4:33 PM ET Last Updated: May 30, 2014 5:34 PM ET Arctic sea ice has sopped up and stored large quantities of microplastic pollution from populated areas in the south, a new study has found. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic from microscopic to fingernail-sized that have been found polluting oceans and lakes around the world over the past decade, but not so far north as the Arctic Ocean. Scientists are concerned about them because they tend to suck up and concentrate other pollutants in the environment, which enter the food chain when animals swallow microplastics. Rachel Obbard, a materials scientist at Dartmouth College in New Hamphire, discovered that Arctic sea ice was contaminated with microplastics by accident when she melted the ice in order to count diatoms ? microscopic algae that live under the ice. http://www.cbc.ca/player/AudioMobile/Quirks%20and%20Quarks/ID/2461183367/

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]]> https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/arctic-sea-ice-polluted-with-microplastics/feed/ 0 Significant amounts of tiny fragments of plastic have been discovered in Arctic ice https://oneearth-oneocean.com/research/2014/significant-amounts-of-tiny-fragments-of-plastic-have-been-discovered-in-arctic-ice/ https://oneearth-oneocean.com/research/2014/significant-amounts-of-tiny-fragments-of-plastic-have-been-discovered-in-arctic-ice/#respond Mon, 21 Jul 2014 21:14:46 +0000 http://www.oneearth-oneocean.com/kb/?p=735 http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/2014/05/31/2014-05-31-1/ Microplastics on Ice Saturday, May 31, 2014 Significant amounts of tiny fragments of plastic have been discovered in Arctic ice. Researchers have discovered that Arctic sea ice is contaminated with tiny fragments of plastic. Tiny fragments of plastic from run-off, dumped garbage and fishing gear - known as microplastic - has been found in many of the world's oceans and coastlines, and there is concern that it may be having impact on sea life. Dr. Rachel Obbard, an assistant professor in the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, was studying sea-ice cores when she was surprised to find a high concentration of plastic in the ice. Sea ice naturally takes up particles from the water as it forms, and Dr. Obbard thinks that the sea ice is acting as a sponge, collecting plastic that enters the Arctic Ocean from the Atlantic and Pacific. As multi-year sea-ice disappears, this reservoir of frozen plastic is likely to be released back into the Arctic Ocean. http://cbc.ca/quirks/media/2013-2014/qq-2014-05-31_01.mp3

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]]> http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/2014/05/31/2014-05-31-1/ Microplastics on Ice Saturday, May 31, 2014 Significant amounts of tiny fragments of plastic have been discovered in Arctic ice. Researchers have discovered that Arctic sea ice is contaminated with tiny fragments of plastic. Tiny fragments of plastic from run-off, dumped garbage and fishing gear - known as microplastic - has been found in many of the world's oceans and coastlines, and there is concern that it may be having impact on sea life. Dr. Rachel Obbard, an assistant professor in the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, was studying sea-ice cores when she was surprised to find a high concentration of plastic in the ice. Sea ice naturally takes up particles from the water as it forms, and Dr. Obbard thinks that the sea ice is acting as a sponge, collecting plastic that enters the Arctic Ocean from the Atlantic and Pacific. As multi-year sea-ice disappears, this reservoir of frozen plastic is likely to be released back into the Arctic Ocean. http://cbc.ca/quirks/media/2013-2014/qq-2014-05-31_01.mp3

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]]> https://oneearth-oneocean.com/research/2014/significant-amounts-of-tiny-fragments-of-plastic-have-been-discovered-in-arctic-ice/feed/ 0 Global warming releases microplastic legacy frozen in Arctic Sea ice Earth’s Future https://oneearth-oneocean.com/research/2014/global-warming-releases-microplastic-legacy-frozen-in-arctic-sea-ice-earths-future/ https://oneearth-oneocean.com/research/2014/global-warming-releases-microplastic-legacy-frozen-in-arctic-sea-ice-earths-future/#respond Mon, 21 Jul 2014 21:00:40 +0000 http://www.oneearth-oneocean.com/kb/?p=725 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014EF000240/abstract Rachel W. Obbard, Saeed Sadri, Ying Qi Wong, Alexandra A. Khitun, Ian Baker and Richard C. Thompson Global warming releases microplastic legacy frozen in Arctic Sea ice Earth's Future Accepted manuscript online: 20 MAY 2014 09:11AM EST | DOI: 10.1002/2014EF000240 Abstract When sea ice forms it scavenges and concentrates particulates from the water column, which then become trapped until the ice melts. In recent years, melting has led to record lows in Arctic sea ice extent, the most recent in September 2012. Global climate models, such as that of Gregory et al. [2002], suggest that the decline in Arctic sea ice volume (3.4% per decade), will actually exceed the decline in sea ice extent, something that Laxon et al. [2013] have shown supported by satellite data. The extent to which melting ice could release anthropogenic particulates back to the open ocean has not yet been examined. Here we show that Arctic sea ice from remote locations contains concentrations of microplastics at least two orders of magnitude greater than those that have been previously reported in highly contaminated surface waters, such as those of the Pacific Gyre. Our findings indicate that microplastics have accumulated far from population centers and that polar sea ice represents a major historic global sink of man-made particulates. The potential for substantial quantities of legacy microplastic contamination to be released to the ocean as the ice melts therefore needs to be evaluated, as do the physical and toxicological effects of plastics on marine life. Keywords: Microplastics; sea ice; Arctic; pollution http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014EF000240/pdf

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]]> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014EF000240/abstract Rachel W. Obbard, Saeed Sadri, Ying Qi Wong, Alexandra A. Khitun, Ian Baker and Richard C. Thompson Global warming releases microplastic legacy frozen in Arctic Sea ice Earth's Future Accepted manuscript online: 20 MAY 2014 09:11AM EST | DOI: 10.1002/2014EF000240 Abstract When sea ice forms it scavenges and concentrates particulates from the water column, which then become trapped until the ice melts. In recent years, melting has led to record lows in Arctic sea ice extent, the most recent in September 2012. Global climate models, such as that of Gregory et al. [2002], suggest that the decline in Arctic sea ice volume (3.4% per decade), will actually exceed the decline in sea ice extent, something that Laxon et al. [2013] have shown supported by satellite data. The extent to which melting ice could release anthropogenic particulates back to the open ocean has not yet been examined. Here we show that Arctic sea ice from remote locations contains concentrations of microplastics at least two orders of magnitude greater than those that have been previously reported in highly contaminated surface waters, such as those of the Pacific Gyre. Our findings indicate that microplastics have accumulated far from population centers and that polar sea ice represents a major historic global sink of man-made particulates. The potential for substantial quantities of legacy microplastic contamination to be released to the ocean as the ice melts therefore needs to be evaluated, as do the physical and toxicological effects of plastics on marine life. Keywords: Microplastics; sea ice; Arctic; pollution http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014EF000240/pdf

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]]> https://oneearth-oneocean.com/research/2014/global-warming-releases-microplastic-legacy-frozen-in-arctic-sea-ice-earths-future/feed/ 0 Human litter found in Europe’s deepest ocean depths https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/human-litter-found-in-europes-deepest-ocean-depths/ https://oneearth-oneocean.com/nonresearch/2014/human-litter-found-in-europes-deepest-ocean-depths/#respond Wed, 07 May 2014 20:41:07 +0000 http://www.oneearth-oneocean.com/kb/?p=567 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/30/human-litter-european-seafloor-survey-ocean-deep Human litter found in Europe's deepest ocean depths Seabed survey reveals depth of marine litter problem by mapping waste in Atlantic and Arctic oceans and Mediterranean Jessica Aldred theguardian.com, Wednesday 30 April 2014 22.00 BST Bottles, plastic bags, fishing nets and other human litter have been found in Europe's deepest ocean depths, according one of the largest scientific surveys of the seafloor to date. Scientists used video and trawl surveys to take nearly 600 samples from 32 sites in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, from depths of 35 metres to 4.5 kilometres. They found rubbish in every Mediterranean site surveyed, and all the way from the continental shelf of Europe to the mid-Atlantic ridge, around 2,000km from land. Plastic was the most common type of litter found on the seafloor, accounting for 41%, while rubbish associated with fishing activities (discarded net and fishing lines) made up 34%. Glass, metal, wood, paper and cardboard, clothing, pottery and unidentified materials were also documented. Jonathan Copley, senior lecturer in marine ecology at the University of Southampton, who did not take part in the study, said: "This very important research confirms what most of us who work in the deep ocean have noticed for quite some time ? that human rubbish has got there before us. "But this paper presents an analysis of the kinds of rubbish, what is common where, and what sort of activities are having the most impact in terms of rubbish reaching the deep ocean in different regions. People are piecing this together on a global scale to appreciate how widespread this problem is potentially."

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]]> http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/apr/30/human-litter-european-seafloor-survey-ocean-deep Human litter found in Europe's deepest ocean depths Seabed survey reveals depth of marine litter problem by mapping waste in Atlantic and Arctic oceans and Mediterranean Jessica Aldred theguardian.com, Wednesday 30 April 2014 22.00 BST Bottles, plastic bags, fishing nets and other human litter have been found in Europe's deepest ocean depths, according one of the largest scientific surveys of the seafloor to date. Scientists used video and trawl surveys to take nearly 600 samples from 32 sites in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, from depths of 35 metres to 4.5 kilometres. They found rubbish in every Mediterranean site surveyed, and all the way from the continental shelf of Europe to the mid-Atlantic ridge, around 2,000km from land. Plastic was the most common type of litter found on the seafloor, accounting for 41%, while rubbish associated with fishing activities (discarded net and fishing lines) made up 34%. Glass, metal, wood, paper and cardboard, clothing, pottery and unidentified materials were also documented. Jonathan Copley, senior lecturer in marine ecology at the University of Southampton, who did not take part in the study, said: "This very important research confirms what most of us who work in the deep ocean have noticed for quite some time ? that human rubbish has got there before us. "But this paper presents an analysis of the kinds of rubbish, what is common where, and what sort of activities are having the most impact in terms of rubbish reaching the deep ocean in different regions. People are piecing this together on a global scale to appreciate how widespread this problem is potentially."

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