Cruise report. Norwegian Polar Institute. Microplastic Cruise (PLT21). June 14 - 28, 2021. Cruise 2021706

Sammendrag

Arctic marine environments are affected by plastic pollution despite its miniscule population. Microplastic reach the Arctic via various transport pathways, and our knowledge about its distribution and transport is limited in addition to the environmental effects of microplastic. The overall goal of this cruise is to improve our knowledge by developing robust sampling methods and obtaining quantitative data from a suite of Arctic marine environments spanning from sea ice to open ocean and fjords. Results from this cruise will also provide baseline data to start monitoring microplastic in the Arctic. During the cruise samples of sea ice, water and sea ice fauna was collected south of Nordaustlandet in Erik Eriksen Strait. Filtered air samples were also collected from the sea ice. Water and sediment samples were collected from northwest Barents Sea, and filtered air samples were collected underway outside the sea ice area. Sediment samples were also collected from two submarine canyons southwest of Spitsbergen. Sampling was also carried out at Isfjorden Bank in addition to Isfjorden. Water sampling was carried out in Adventfjorden and just outside of Adventfjorden in order to test the modelled results of the microplastic distribution from Longyearbyen. Fish was also sampled as trawls were carried out at Great Bank (northwest Barents Sea) and Isfjorden Bank (western Spitsbergen). In total, fourteen sites were visited and ca. 1200 samples were collected. All samples will be analysed for microplastic by Norwegian Polar Institute and Norwegian Institute of Air Research at the Fram Centre in Tromsø. During the cruise a capsule with a GPS transmitter was deployed southwest of Spitsbergen as part of the PAME (Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment) project “Plastic in a bottle” (https://pame.is/projects/arctic-marine-pollution/plastic-in-a-bottle-live-map).