Arctic set to release high tide of plastic

GERMANY: Huge amounts of microplastics trapped within Arctic sea ice will be released into the oceans with global warming, researchers have warned.

The Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany found 12,000 microplastic particles per litre of ice when it surveyed five regions in the Arctic Ocean.

Analysis of ocean currents showed much of the debris had flowed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world, which lies between California and Hawaii.

British experts said it showed that the garbage patch was ‘‘literally the tip of the iceberg’’.

Dr Ilka Peeken, biologist and first author of a study published in the journal

said: ‘‘More than half of the microplastic particles trapped in the ice were less than a twentieth of a millimetre wide, which means they could easily be ingested by Arctic microorganisms. No-one can say for certain how harmful these tiny plastic particles are for marine life, or ultimately for human beings.’’

The movement of sea ice in the Arctic means much of the waste is eventually transported to waters off the north east coast of Greenland. British experts said the amount of microplastics in the oceans will only increase as sea ice melts because of climate change.

Prof Ton van den Bremer, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, said: ‘‘The study ties together two global environmental problems: plastic pollution of the ocean and climate change, as the melting of the Arctic ice cap will lead to the release of large additional quantities of microplastic.’’