Microplastics in Soils of the Thala Hills, East Antarctica

Abstract

For the first time, using the example of the Vecherny Oasis (Thala Hills, Enderby Land), data on the content of microplastic particles (<5 mm) in the soils of East Antarctica were obtained. Seven samples taken from a depth of 0–15 cm were analyzed. Two soil fractions (<1 mm and 1–5 mm) were studied in triplicate (42 individual samples). The method for isolating microplastic particles included soil sieving, density separation in a zinc chloride solution, centrifugation, vacuum filtration, and microscopic analysis. For filtration, glass fiber filters with pore diameter of 1.6 µm were used. Quantification of microplastic particles was carried out using a microscope, digital camera, and appropriate software. Microplastic particles were present in all the analyzed samples. Their quantity varied from 66 to 1933 particles/kg dry soil. In most cases, particles <1 mm predominated (70–100% of all particles). The share of fibers reached 70%; the share of fragments, 30%; plastic films were found sporadically. There was no definite allocation of the increased number of microplastic particles to particular infrastructure facilities, which may be a consequence of the influence of other factors, including local and long-distance transfer of microplastics.