In a paper recently published in Sustainable Development, scientists from the University of Reykjavik (RU), the University of Gothenburg and the Icelandic Meteorological Bureau described the microplastics they found in a remote and primitive area of Vatnajokull, the largest ice sheet in Europe. Microplastics may affect the melting and rheological behavior of glaciers, and further affect the contribution of meltwater to the ocean and sea level rise in the future.

Watner? Kuer Glacier

This is the first time that microplastics has been found on the Vatna ice sheet. Through optical microscope and μ Raman spectrum, the team intuitively identified microplastics particles with different sizes and materials. The discussion about microplastics mainly focuses on marine pollution, but so far, there is little research on plastics in the earth's ice sheet. At present, microplastics particles have been found in icebergs in Italian Alps, Ecuadorian Andes and Svalbard.

Watner? Kuer Glacier Cave

The first author of this paper, Dr. Hlynur Stefansson from RU University, said that it is very important to understand the distribution of microplastics and its short-term and long-term effects on ice dynamics.

The results show that microplastics particles are distributed in the atmosphere. Dr Stefansson said, "We don't know enough about the path of microplastics particles in our environment. Is plastic taken away by snow and rain? We need to know more reasons. The samples we collected come from a very remote and primitive place in Vatnajokull Glacier, and there is no convenient passage, so it is unlikely to be directly polluted by human activities. "

He continued: "We need to know more about the short-term and long-term effects of microplastics on ice dynamics and whether they will accelerate the melting of glaciers. If so, it will play a key role in the future contribution of meltwater to the ocean and sea level rise. Plastic particles degrade very slowly in the cold glacier environment and can accumulate in glaciers for a long time. However, in the end, they will be released from the ice, causing pollution of rivers and marine environment. Therefore, it is very important to map and understand the existence and spread of microplastics in glaciers on a global scale. " .