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Microplastics in Polar Samples

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Handbook of Microplastics in the Environment

Abstract

Microplastics are increasingly recognized as being globally widespread, but relatively little is known about the presence and abundance of microplastics in samples collected in Polar Regions. Here we review the current knowledge about microplastic occurrence and distribution in polar environments, with a particular focus on the relevance of the data and comparability between Arctic and Antarctic investigations. In the Arctic, microplastics have been found in seawater, marine sediments, ice, and snow and in the gut content of several species at different trophic levels. Antarctica is still, by far, the least affected region by human activity than anywhere else in the world, and the few studies carried out in this region find microplastics at very low concentrations. Studies focusing on microplastic threats to key species of Arctic and Antarctic marine food webs are urgently needed as are coordinated long-term studies on microplastic pollution, which are mandatory to follow the temporal trend of human impact in these remote regions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS, Trieste, Italy

    V. Tirelli

  2. Institute of Marine Sciences – National Research Council, ISMAR-CNR, La Spezia, Italy

    G. Suaria

  3. Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo, Norway

    A. L. Lusher

Authors
  1. V. Tirelli
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  2. G. Suaria
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  3. A. L. Lusher
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Correspondence to V. Tirelli .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Teresa Rocha-Santos

  2. Departamento de Oceanografia, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    Mónica Costa

  3. Faculty of Sciences, Université Catholique de L'Ouest, Angers cedex 01, France

    Catherine Mouneyrac

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Chemistry and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    João Pinto da Costa

  2. Department of Chemistry & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Armando da Costa Duarte

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Tirelli, V., Suaria, G., Lusher, A.L. (2020). Microplastics in Polar Samples. In: Rocha-Santos, T., Costa, M., Mouneyrac, C. (eds) Handbook of Microplastics in the Environment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10618-8_4-1

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