Ukrainian Antarctic Journal

Vol 23 No 1(30) (2025): Ukrainian Antarctic Journal
Articles

Polar pollution: protecting Antarctic marine ecosystems from microplastics

PDF
  • Elliott Lancaster,
  • Zina Lancaster,
  • Vihara Marasinghe
Elliott Lancaster
Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
Zina Lancaster
Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
Vihara Marasinghe
Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33275/1727-7485.1.2025.745
Published July 29, 2025
Keywords
  • Antarctica,
  • environmental impact,
  • marine life,
  • plastic pollution,
  • remote ecosystems,
  • waste management
    • ...More
    Less
How to Cite
Lancaster, E., Lancaster, Z., & Marasinghe, V. (2025). Polar pollution: protecting Antarctic marine ecosystems from microplastics. Ukrainian Antarctic Journal, 23(1(30), 90-99. https://doi.org/10.33275/1727-7485.1.2025.745

Copyright (c) 2025 Ukrainian Antarctic Journal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Plastic contamination in Antarctica is a major environmental concern that has received international attention in recent years. This review investigates the factors that affect polar plastics, including their distribution, accumulation, socioeconomic effects, stakeholder alignments, ways to reduce plastic pollution, and policies that affect plastic pollution in Antarctica. The problem of plastic pollution is extremely important for the preservation of the environment in the Antarctic and on the planet. The spread of plastic pollution in Antarctica is mostly due to ocean currents transporting plastic debris from other parts of the world. The distribution of plastics is driven by human activities, which have led to severe environmental degradation. Now, climate change is exacerbating the problem, creating a destructive feedback loop. According to research, plastic waste is concentrated in specific parts of Antarctica, notably in ice-free areas. A solution to the escalating problem of plastic pollution lies in the development and adoption of sustainable policies and practices. By increasing environmental awareness around the harm microplastics impact on the environment, more advocates could address the importance of investing in innovative alternative materials, promoting circular economy principles for waste management, government intervention, and encouraging global stakeholder collaboration. By combining education, innovation, regulation, and community action, we can drive into a world where plastic accumulation is reduced and controlled, leading to a safe environment free of biological consequences in the Antarctic region. Through this, we can significantly change plastic consumption and save biodiversity. Furthermore, the engagement of scientific communities in long-term monitoring and the promotion of eco-friendly expeditions are vital to ensure progress. Strengthening international treaties can bolster the enforcement of regulations concerning plastic use and disposal. The collective efforts of individuals, institutions, and governments can have a significant impact, reversing the damage and setting a precedent for environmental protection worldwide.

PDF

References

  1. Abalansa, S., El Mahrad, B., Vondolia, G. K., Icely, J., & Newton, A. (2020). The marine plastic litter issue: a socio-economic analysis. Sustainability, 12(20), 8677. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208677
  2. Abbott, J. K., & Sumaila, U. R. (2019). Reducing marine plastic pollution: Policy insights from economics. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 13(2), 327–336. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rez007
  3. Agamuthu, P., Mehran, S. B., Norkhairah, A., & Norkhairiyah, A. (2019). Marine debris: A review of impacts and global initiatives. Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy, 37(10), 987–1002. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X19845041
  4. Agnes, M., Adeboye, A., & Huang, Q. (2020). Prevention and control of plastic waste pollution in the polar region: a review. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 10(12), 11–20. https://doi.org/10.29322/ijsrp.10.12.2020.p10803
  5. Alimba, C. G., & Faggio, C. (2019). Microplastics in the marine environment: Current trends in environmental pollution and mechanisms of toxicological profile. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 68, 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2019.03.001
  6. Almela, P., & Gonzalez, S. (2020). Are Antarctic Specially Protected Areas safe from plastic pollution? A survey of plastic litter at Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica. Advances in Polar Science, 31(04), 284–290. https://doi.org/10.13679/J.ADVPS.2020.0029
  7. Avery-Gomm, S., Borrelle, S. B., & Provencher, J. F. (2018). Linking plastic ingestion research with marine wildlife conservation. Science of The Total Environment, 637–638, 1492–1495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.409
  8. Aves, A. R., Revell, L. E., Gaw, S., Ruffell, H., Schuddeboom, A., Wotherspoon, N. E., LaRue, M., & McDonald, A. J. (2022). First evidence of microplastics in Antarctic snow. The Cryosphere, 16(6), 2127–2145. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2127-2022
  9. Avio, C. G., Gorbi, S., & Regoli, F. (2017). Plastics and microplastics in the oceans: From emerging pollutants to emerged threat. Marine Environmental Research, 128, 2–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.05.012
  10. Bargagli, R., & Rota, E. (2023). Microplastic interactions and possible combined biological effects in Antarctic marine ecosystems. Animals, 13(1), 162. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13010162
  11. Beaumont, N. J., Aanesen, M., Austen, M. C., Börger, T., Clark, J. R., Cole, M., Hooper, T., Lindeque, P. K., Pascoe, C., & Wyles, K. J. (2019). Global ecological, social and economic impacts of marine plastic. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 142, 189–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2019.03.022
  12. Bhardwaj, L. K. (2024). Occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in Antarctica and its impact on the health of organisms. Maritime Technology and Research, 6(2), 265418. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2024.265418
  13. Chin, L. W., & Fung, T. H. (2018). Plastic in Marine Litter. In R. M. Harrison, & R. E. Hester (Eds.), Plastic and the Environment (pp. 21–59). https://doi.org/10.1039/9781788013314-00021
  14. Collins, C., & Hermes, J. C. (2019). Modelling the accumulation and transport of floating marine micro-plastics around South Africa. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 139, 46–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.12.028
  15. Coyle, R., Hardiman, G., & O’Driscoll, K. (2020). Microplastics in the marine environment: A review of their sources, distribution processes, uptake and exchange in ecosystems. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, 2, 100010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2020.100010
  16. Cunningham, E. M., Ehlers, S. M., Dick, J. T. A., Sigwart, J. D., Linse, K., Dick, J. J., & Kiriakoulakis, K. (2020). High abundances of microplastic pollution in deepsea sediments: evidence from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(21), 13661–13671. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c03441
  17. do Sul, J. A. I., Barnes, D. K. A., Costa, M. F., Convey, P., Costa, E. S., & Campos, L. S. (2011). Plastics in the Antarctic environment: are we looking only at the tip of the iceberg? Oecologia Australis, 15(1), 150–170. https://doi.org/10.4257/oeco.2011.1501.11
  18. Eriksen, M., Thiel, M., & Lebreton, L. (2016). Nature of plastic marine pollution in the Subtropical gyres. In H. Takada, & H. K. Karapanagioti (Eds.), Hazardous Chemicals Associated with Plastics in the Marine Environment. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry (Vol. 78, pp. 135–162). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2016_123
  19. Finger, J. V. G., Corá, D. H., Convey, P., Cruz, F. S., Petry, M. V., & Krüger, L. (2021). Anthropogenic debris in an Antarctic Specially Protected Area in the maritime Antarctic. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 172, 112921. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112921
  20. Funduk, M., Tutman, P., Farkaš, A., Tišma, S., & Boromisa, A. M. (2021). Marine litter in Croatian Adriatic: sources, quantities and stakeholders′ perspectives. Sustainability, 13(9), 4691. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094691
  21. García-Gómez, J. C., Garrigós, M., & Garrigós, J. (2021). Plastic as a vector of dispersion for marine species with invasive potential. A review. Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution, 9, 629756. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.629756
  22. Gewert, B., Plassmann, M. M., & MacLeod, M. (2015). Pathways for degradation of plastic polymers floating in the marine environment. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 17(9), 1513–1521. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5em00207a
  23. GRID-Arendal, Raubenheimer, K., & Urho, N. (2023). Science-policy interface for plastic pollution. Arendal: GRID Arendal.
  24. Jansen, M. A. K., Andrady, A. L., Bornman, J. F., Aucamp, P. J., Bais, A. F., Banaszak, A. T., Barnes, P. W., Bernhard, G. H., Bruckman, L. S., Busquets, R., Häder, D. P., Hanson, M. L., Heikkilä, A. M., Hylander, S., Lucas, R. M., Mackenzie, R., Madronich, S., Neale, P. J., Neale, R. E., …& Zhu, L. (2024). Plastics in the Environment in the Context of UV Radiation, Climate Change, and the Montreal Protocol: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2023. Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, 23, 629–650. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43630-024-00552-3
  25. Lacerda, A. L. d. F., Rodrigues, L. dos S., van Sebille, E., Rodrigues, F. L., Ribeiro, L., Secchi, E. R., Kessler, F., & Proietti, M. C. (2019). Plastics in sea surface waters around the Antarctic Peninsula. Scientific Reports, 9, 3977. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40311-4
  26. Li, W. C., Tse, H. F., & Fok, L. (2016). Plastic waste in the marine environment: A review of sources, occurrence and effects. Science of The Total Environment, 566–567, 333–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.084
  27. Madricardo, F., Ghezzo, M., Nesto, N., Mc Kiver, W. J., Faussone, G. C., Fiorin, R., Riccato, F., Mackelworth, P. C., Basta, J., De Pascalis, F., Kruss, A., Petrizzo, A., & Moschino, V. (2020). How to deal with seafloor marine litter: an overview of the state-of-the-art and future perspectives. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 505134. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.505134
  28. Nguyen, L., & Brouwer, R. (2022). Fishing for litter: creating an economic market for marine plastics in a sustainable fisheries model. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 722815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.722815
  29. Pettipas, S., Bernier, M., & Walker, T. R. (2016). A Canadian policy framework to mitigate plastic marine pollution. Marine Policy, 68, 117–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARPOL.2016.02.025
  30. Proshad, R., Kormoker, T., Islam, M. S., Haque, M. A., Rahman, M. M., & Mithu, M. M. R. (2018). Toxic effects of plastic on human health and environment: consequences of health risk assessment in Bangladesh. International Journal of Health, 6(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijh.v6i1.8655
  31. Raubenheimer, K., & McIlgorm, A. (2017). Is the Montreal Protocol a model that can help solve the global marine plastic debris problem? Marine Policy, 81, 322–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARPOL.2017.04.014
  32. Roman, L., Schuyler, Q., Wilcox, C., & Hardesty, B. D. (2020). Plastic pollution is killing marine megafauna, but how do we prioritise policies to reduce mortality? Conservation Letters, 14(2), e12781. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12781
  33. Rota, E., Bergami, E., Corsi, I., & Bargagli, R. (2022). Macro- and microplastics in the Antarctic environment: ongoing assessment and perspectives. Environments, 9(7), 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments9070093
  34. Sheavly, S. B., & Register, K. M. (2007). Marine Debris & Plastics: Environmental Concerns, Sources, Impacts and Solutions. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 15, 301–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10924-007-0074-3
  35. Thushari, G. G. N., & Senevirathna, J. D. M. (2020). Plastic pollution in the marine environment. Heliyon, 6(8), e04709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04709
  36. Waller, C. L., Griffiths, H. J., Waluda, C. M., Thorpe, S. E., Loaiza, I., Moreno, B., Pacherres, C. O., & Hughes, K. A. (2017). Microplastics in the Antarctic marine system: An emerging area of research. Science of The Total Environment, 598, 220–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.283
  37. Xanthos, D., & Walker, T. R. (2017). International policies to reduce plastic marine pollution from singleuse plastics (plastic bags and microbeads): A review. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 118(1–2), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.02.048
  38. Zhang, M., Haward, M., & McGee, J. (2020). Marine plastic pollution in the polar south: Responses from Antarctic Treaty System. Polar Record, 56, e36. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0032247420000388