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

Abstract

Norsk Polarinstitutt gjennomførte et tverrfaglig tokt fokusert på mikroplast 14-28 juni 2021. Toktet gikk først sør for Nordaustlandet til Erik Eriksenstretet, hvor det ble samlet prøver av havis i tillegg til innsamling av vannprøver og biota under havisen. I Barentshavet øst og sør for Svalbard ble det hentet prøver av vann, plankton, fisk og sediment fra havbunn. Av sistnevnte ble det samlet prøver fra to undersjøiske kanaler på skråningen sør-vest for Sørkapp. Utfor Isfjorden og i Isfjorden ble det også innsamlet prøver av vann, plankton, fisk og sediment fra havbunn. Det ble tatt prøver på begge sider av munningen av og i Adventfjorden for å teste modelleringsforsøk av spredningen av mikroplastpartikler fra Longyearbyen. Prøvene fra Adventfjorden ble innhentet under siste del av toktet, hvor også «polarrekrutter» og NRK deltok. Totalt ble det besøkt 14 stasjoner og ca. 1200 prøver ble innsamlet. Prøvene vil bli analysert for mikroplast på Norsk Polarinstitutt og Norsk Institutt for Luftforskning på Framsenteret i Tromsø. Under toktet ble også en bøye med GPS sporer satt ut som en del av PAME (Protection of the Arctic Marine Environement) prosjektet «Plastic in a bottle» vest for Svalbard.

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).