This is what researchers from the Bremerhaven Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) report In the journal “Nature Reviews Earth and the Environment”, This has consequences for the fauna out there, but possibly also for the climate.

The Arctic is still largely regarded as untouched wilderness – but it no longer matches reality, AWI biologist said Melanie Bergman, co-author of the analysis. Not only is climate change making hitting northern latitudes particularly difficult, but a flood of plastics has long reached the Arctic Ocean. “Our study shows that plastic pollution in the Arctic is already similar to that in other regions of the world.”

two truckloads per minute

For the overview, the AWI team together with researchers from Norway, Canada and the Netherlands evaluated and summarized studies on plastic entry into the Arctic region. About 19 to 23 million tons of plastic waste end up in the world’s waters every year. This corresponds to about two truckloads per minute, as reported by AWI. Because plastic is particularly stable, it accumulates in the oceans and breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces over time. And the flood of waste is likely to increase: by 2045, global plastic production is expected to double.

According to observational studies, a large proportion of plastic waste in the European part of the Arctic comes from fishing: nets and ropes deliberately thrown into the ocean or lost. Garbage from Arctic settlements enters the ocean, but also comes from afar. In particular, ocean currents from the Atlantic and North Sea and through the Bering Strait from the North Pacific contribute to the influx. Rivers also bring plastic with them, including in Siberia. The wind carries the tiny microplastics north.

Are Microplastics Replacing Ice and Sea Ice?

According to Bergman, there have been only a few studies specifically on the effects of plastic flooding on Arctic marine fauna. However, there is much to suggest that the consequences are as dire as the better-studied areas. For example, ingested microplastics are likely to increase and decrease reproduction, physiological stress and inflammatory responses in the tissues of marine animals in the Arctic.

In addition to the negative effects of plastics on marine life, it can also fuel climate change. “There is an urgent need for research here,” Bergman says. “Because preliminary studies provide evidence that trapped microplastics alter the properties of sea ice and ice.”

So the dark particles in the ice can absorb more sunlight and thus melt faster. This in turn increases global warming. In addition, plastic particles in the atmosphere form condensation nuclei for clouds and rain, which can affect weather and climate in the long run. “Plastic floods affect ecosystems that are already highly stressed,” Bergman says. Climate change is causing the Arctic to warm three times faster than the rest of the world.