Microplastic particles found in Antarctic waters

Microplastic particles have been found in the oceans close to Antarctica, data collected during the Volvo Ocean Race has revealed.

The new data comes from the Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme, funded by Volvo Cars. Analysis of water samples, gathered at points during the Leg 2 of the Race, between Lisbon and Cape Town and Leg 3 from Cape Town to Melbourne.

The groundbreaking results, announced at the Volvo Ocean Race Hong Kong Ocean Summit, found microplastics in the Southern Ocean close to the Antarctic Ice Exclusion Zone.

Compared to other Oceans the number of microplastic particles was small however, four microplastic particles per cubic metre were still found.

There were 89 microplastic particles per cubic metre found in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, west of Cape Town, South Africa. And on the third leg of the race, 152 microplastic particles per cubic metre of ocean were discovered east of South Africa. In Australian waters, close to Melbourne, 115 particles per cubic metre of ocean were found.

The tiny particles of plastic, which break down from larger pieces such as single-use plastic bottles, were collected by Race team ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’ during the round the world race.

Dr. Sören Gutekunst, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, and Researcher at Kiel Cluster of Excellence, presented the results during the Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summit, held during the event’s Hong Kong stopover. 

“This new information confirms the results we had previously collected from European waters and shows that there are consistently high levels of micro plastic in the ocean and we are also seeing low levels of microplastics in waters close to the Antarctic,” said Gutekunst, who works at GEOMAR, an ocean research institute in Kiel, Germany.

“The Turn the Tide on Plastic race team is collecting extremely valuable scientific data that will help us gain a clearer picture of the amount of micro plastics in our oceans.”

Microplastic has the potential to enter the food chain, in species such as tuna and mackerel, and can cause harm to humans, too. It consists of small particles of plastic, often invisible to the naked eye and less than 5mm.

At the Hong Kong Ocean Summit, Daisy Lo, assistant director of environmental protection, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, pledged to explore ways to reduce plastic at source, revealed plans for a $HK20 million fund for upgrading plastic recycling facilities and talked of efforts to clean up the marine environment.

Anne-Cecile Turner, Sustainability Programme Leader for the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “We know very little about exactly how much microplastic is contaminating our oceans so this data provides information for the scientific community and the wider public.

“Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summits offer a platform to showcase innovative solutions to the global crisis of plastic polluting our oceans.”

The news comes as Volvo Ocean Race boat Team AkzoNobel has been announced as the second team to use the on-board data gathering equipment to measure water quality and composition, as well as microplastics in some of the world’s remotest oceans.

The scientific research was collected using a state-of-the-art instrument, designed especially for the Volvo Ocean 65 racing yacht.

Volvo Cars is funding the Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme by donating €100 from the first 3,000 sales of the new V90 Cross Country Volvo Ocean Race edition vehicle.

Consisting of three key pillars – meteorological data collection, scientific drifter buoy deployment, and on board analysis of key metrics for ocean health including salinity, temperature, dissolved CO2 and Chlorophyll a – this Science Programme aims to create a snapshot of the health of the oceans to help scientists worldwide.

Speakers at the Hong Kong event included Sam Barratt: Chief of Public Advocacy & Communications, United Nations Environment, Christopher Wahlborg: Business Manager Automotive, Stena Recycling AB, Safia Qureshi, The Cup Club and Patrick Yeung, Project Manager Oceans Conservation, WWF.

Ellie Cottrell, a 12th Grade student in Hong Kong, gave an impassioned presentation on the impacts plastics are having on waters around Hong Kong.