The expedition of the Arctic floating university on the ship “Professor Molchanov” began to study microplasty in the Barents Sea. This year, researchers for the first time in parallel analyze the content of persistent organic pollutants (CA) – dangerous chemicals that can accumulate in plastic.
As explained by Alexander Ershova from the Russian State Hydrometeorological University, scientists take the samples of water and bottom deposits in order to understand the relationship between microplastics and toxic compounds. These data will help evaluate the real harm of plastic pollution for Arctic ecosystems.
CA is a group of stable chemicals, including pesticides and industrial waste. They remain in nature for a long time and can accumulate in living organisms. Samples from the Barents Sea will be sent for analysis to the Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry.
