VIENNA: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in cooperation with Argentina’s government on Jan 6, launched its first scientific research expedition to investigate the presence of microplastics in Antarctica in efforts to combat the growing environmental problem, reported Emirates News Agency (WAM).
According to a statement on the IAEA’s website, the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, and IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi joined the IAEA scientific team at the Marambio and Esperanza Argentine Antarctic Bases to mark the start of their mission.
Grossi said that the discovery of microplastics in the once-untouched Antarctic environment is a testament to the influence of the widespread and detrimental pollutant.
He said microplastics are a global problem, but the international community still lacks the scientific data needed to make informed decisions.
“This is the goal of NUTEC plastics: by understanding the plastic origin, movement and impact, we can make informed decisions on how to address the problem,” he added at the launching event at the Argentine Antarctic Base Marambio on Jan 6.
The two-person research team will set off for one month to assess the impact of microplastics by investigating their occurrence and distribution in seawater, lakes, sediments, sand, discharge water and animals of the Antarctic ecosystem near the Argentine Carlini scientific research station.
Meanwhile, the mission to the world’s southernmost continent is being carried out through the IAEA’s NUclear TEChnology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC) Plastics initiative to fight plastic pollution with nuclear technologies which was established in 2020.
Through NUTEC Plastic monitoring laboratories, nuclear and isotopic techniques are being used to produce data on marine microplastic distribution by sampling and analysing the prevalence of microplastics in the environment.
These precise scientific data represent important information for developing plastic mitigation and disposal measures and policies.
If the presence of microplastics is found, it can contribute to accelerating the ice loss in Antarctica by reducing ice reflectivity, altering surface roughness, promoting microbial activity, acting as thermal insulators, and contributing to the mechanical weakening of the ice structure.
Furthermore, combined with climate change, atmospheric conditions, and oceanic influences, the presence of microplastics will deepen the devastating impact of polar ice melting in Antarctica.
In addition, microplastics entering the food chain of Antarctic organisms negatively affect the health of Antarctic life and their resilience to climate change. – Bernama, WAM
