A recent Greenpeace expedition to Antarctica has highlighted the presence of microplastics and other chemical substances in the sea and in the snow.
Perhaps it is because of all that brilliant ice, which conveys an idea of purity, or perhaps it is the extreme remoteness, which contributes to stereotyping our vision — the fact remains that we usually think of Antarctica as a wild and unspoilt place, still immune to the degradation that now characterises too many ecosystems. Once, perhaps, but today not even this frozen wasteland is immune to the impact of humankind. Confirmation comes from a recent Greenpeace expedition that has reported the presence of microplastics and other chemical substances in the sea and in the snow.
Greenpeace undertook a scientific expedition to Antarctica from January to March 2018 to analyse the state of health of these little-known ecosystems and to learn more about local biodiversity and pollution in the area. Researchers took samples of water and snow to check for the presence of microplastics in the water and of hazardous persistent chemical substances such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas).
"The human footprint is now evident even in Antarctica," said Frida Bengtsson, of Greenpeace's campaign to protect Antarctica. "From pollution to climate change, through to industrial krill fishing. These findings show that even the most remote areas of Antarctica are contaminated by microplastics and hazardous chemical substances.
Greenpeace's analyses produced truly worrying results: microplastics and microfibres were found in seven out of eight surface water samples (at least one microplastic fragment per litre). Out of nine marine particulate samples, two contained microplastic fragments; finally, the analyses also documented the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
The results therefore confirm the enormous environmental threat posed by plastic, now omnipresent, particularly in the oceans. "Plastic has been found in every corner of our oceans, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and at the deepest point in the ocean, the Mariana Trench," said Giuseppe Ungherese, of Greenpeace Italia's pollution campaign. "We need urgent action to reduce the amount of plastic in our seas and to create marine reserves on a large scale."
The Greenpeace expedition was part of a campaign aimed at creating a Sanctuary in Antarctica. The very establishment of a protected area, which is set to cover a surface of 1.8 million square kilometres, could guarantee the minimum level of protection for Antarctica and its delicate balances, threatened by pollution and the fishing industry. "It is essential to act at the root to put an end to the presence of these pollutants in Antarctica; an Antarctic Sanctuary must be established to guarantee protection for penguins, whales and the entire ecosystem," said Frida Bengtsson. The sanctuary project has been proposed by the EU and a decision will be taken at the next meeting of the Antarctic Ocean Commission (Ccamlr), this coming October. If it were to be realised, the sanctuary would be the largest protected area on Earth and would measure five times the size of Germany, helping to make Antarctica once again the magical, wild and unspoilt place of our imagination.
