Neuston-net tows and microplastic concentrations and inventories in the Chukchi Sea during the cruise MR21-05C of the R/V Mirai of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)

The distribution of microplastic in the open ocean of the Arctic Ocean is largely undocumented. Substantial numbers of studies on microplastics have been reported in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, yet very few data are available in the polar oceans. In the present study, we conducted microplastic surveys along the cruise track to fill gaps in the Arctic Ocean.
Floating microplastic samples were collected using a neuston net with a square mouth opening of 75 cm height and 75 cm width, equipped a 333 micro-m mesh opening net with a collecting bottle at the cod end. At each station, the net was towed once for 20 min each along the surface of the starboard side. The trawl speed ranged between 1 and 2 knots. A flow meter was installed at the net mouth to estimate the volume of water filtered during each tow. The collected samples were fixed with 5% formalin and stored at room temperature until analysis.