Arctic sea ice is loaded with plastic litter from cigarettes and paint

In 2014, scientists clad in thick neon orange suits stepped off a research vessel and visited five different patches of pristine-looking Arctic sea ice. As these researchers discovered, the blinding white ice in the remote north looks awfully pure, but its appearance is deceiving. 

After removing cores of ice from the frozen ground, the research team found it contained up to 12,000 tiny to microscopic bits of plastic, some from cigarette filters, some from paint, and others that were degraded pieces of common litter. The amount of plastic found was over double the numbers previously seen in Arctic sea ice.  Read more...

More about Science, Arctic Sea Ice, Arctic Ocean, Plastic Pollution, and Microplastics

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