Nature Communications (Jan 2021)

Pervasive distribution of polyester fibres in the Arctic Ocean is driven by Atlantic inputs

  • Peter S. Ross,
  • Stephen Chastain,
  • Ekaterina Vassilenko,
  • Anahita Etemadifar,
  • Sarah Zimmermann,
  • Sarah-Ann Quesnel,
  • Jane Eert,
  • Eric Solomon,
  • Shreyas Patankar,
  • Anna M. Posacka,
  • Bill Williams

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20347-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Microplastics have spread across the globe and reached even the most remote locations, but an understanding of their origins remains largely elusive. Here the authors quantify and characterise microplastics across the North Pole, finding that synthetic fibers like polyester are dominant and likely sourced from the Atlantic Ocean.