Articles | Volume 15, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2531-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2531-2021
Research article
 | 
03 Jun 2021
Research article |  | 03 Jun 2021

A pilot study about microplastics and mesoplastics in an Antarctic glacier

Miguel González-Pleiter, Gissell Lacerot, Carlos Edo, Juan Pablo Lozoya, Francisco Leganés, Francisca Fernández-Piñas, Roberto Rosal, and Franco Teixeira-de-Mello

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Discipline: Other | Subject: Antarctic
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Cited articles

Absher, T. M., Ferreira, S. L., Kern, Y., Ferreira, A. L., Christo, S. W., and Ando, R. A.: Incidence and identification of microfibers in ocean waters in Admiralty Bay, Antarctica, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 26, 292–298, 2019. 
Allen, S., Allen, D., Phoenix, V. R., Le Roux, G., Jiménez, P. D., Simonneau, A., Binet, S., and Galop, D.: Atmospheric transport and deposition of microplastics in a remote mountain catchment, Nature Geosci., 12, 339–344, 2019. 
Allen, S., Allen, D., Moss, K., Le Roux, G., Phoenix, V. R., and Sonke, J. E.: Examination of the ocean as a source for atmospheric microplastics, PLoS One, 15, e0232746, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232746, 2020. 
Ambrosini, R., Azzoni, R. S., Pittino, F., Diolaiuti, G., Franzetti, A., and Parolini, M.: First evidence of microplastic contamination in the supraglacial debris of an alpine glacier, Environ. Pollut., 253, 297–301, 2019. 
Antarctic Treaty Secretariat: Annex III to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Waste disposal and waste management, available at: http://www.ats.aq (last access: 9 February 2021), 1998. 
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Short summary
Plastics have been found in several compartments in Antarctica. However, there is currently no evidence of their presence on Antarctic glaciers. Our pilot study is the first report of plastic pollution presence on an Antarctic glacier.