Shock detection in ice cores in the Arctic - the most remote waters

Tiny pieces of plastic have been found in ice cores drilled in the Arctic, indicating increasing pollution for marine life in even the most remote waters of the planet.

Researchers use helicopters to land on ice sheets and take samples during an 18-day icebreaker expedition through the Northwest Corridor, a dangerous route linking the Pacific and Atlantic .

"We spent weeks searching for ancient white sea ice floating in the ocean," said Jacob Strock, a researcher at the University of Rhode Island, who performed an initial analysis of cores, told Reuters.

Micro plastic was found in ice core samples taken from the Northwest Corridor during an 18-day icebreaker expedition in July and August. (Photo: Reuters).

"When we look closely at it, we find the contaminants that are visible with the right tool. We find it quite surprising," Strock said.

Strock and colleagues found the material stuck in the ice taken from Lancaster Sound, an isolated strip of water in the Canadian Arctic, where they thought could be relatively protected from drifting plastic contamination.

The team pulled out 18 ice cores up to 2 meters from four locations and found plastic and fiber particles that could be seen in different shapes and sizes.

The panic of scientists is reminiscent of the wrath of explorers when they found plastic waste in the Pacificas Trench of the Pacific, the deepest place on Earth, during diving in the sea at the beginning of the year. now on.

The Northwest Corridor Project mainly focuses on investigating the impact of artificial climate change on the Arctic, as a planetary cooling system, which is threatened by rapid disappearance. of summer sea ice.

Plastic pieces - called microplastic - also show how horrible the waste problem is. The United Nations estimates that 100 million tons of plastic has been dumped into the oceans so far.