Poster Presentation Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Australasia 2023

Circumnavigation of Antarctica Reveals Microplastic Contamination in the Southern Ocean: A collaboration with Lisa Blair Sails the World. (#224)

Marina F. M. Santana 1 2 , Keegan Vickers 1 , Michaela Miller 3 , Samantha Jaworski 1 , Cherie Motti 1 2
  1. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
  2. James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
  3. Integrated Marine Observing System, Hobart, TAS, Australia

Comprehensive knowledge regarding the spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in various marine environments remains elusive. Lisa Blair's quest to circumnavigate Antarctica provided a unique opportunity to conduct a near-continuous collection of subsurface seawater samples to study microplastic contamination in the Southern Ocean, a region of interest of Australasian scientists, managers, and the broader public. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in collaboration with the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), facilitated the collection, processing, and analysis of these seawater samples for microplastics contamination. Samples were collected every 22 hours per 24 hours over 90 days using the SubCtech OceanPack™ RACE® Microplastic Sampler, starting, and finishing in Albany (Western Australia). Oceanographic data, including seawater temperature and salinity, were also recorded. Supported by the Clean Ocean Foundation, sample processing protocols have been developed and validated for these samples. This poster provides an overview of the project and preliminary findings, offering insights into the spatial distribution of microplastics in Southern Ocean waters.