Microplastic abundance in Antarctic Snow samples

This dataset presents concentration of microplastics in snow from remote Antarctic camps: Union Glacier, Schanz Glacier and the South Pole. Refined automated FTIR techniques enabled interrogation of microplastics (including fibres) to a lower detection limit of 11 micrometers in Antarctic snow for the first time. Microplastics were pervasive (73 - 3099 MP L/1). The majority (95 percent) measured less than 50 micrometers, indicating that previous microplastic reports in Antarctica may be underestimated, due to analytical restrictions. Plastic polymer composition and concentration did not vary significantly between sites, with dominant polymers being polyamide (PA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) and synthetic rubber. Results indicate that even in the earth's most remote regions, humans are leaving a plastic legacy in the snow, illustrating the importance of remote, cryospheric regions as critical study sites for determining temporal fluxes in microplastic pollution.

Funding:
All fieldwork was supported and financed by Airbnb.