Quantification of Organic Pollutants and Detection of Microplastic within Soil from Varying Landscapes in Antarctica

Advanced technology has increased access to Antarctica; consequently, there has been an increase in research and tourism. The production of the new technology and the increased number of individuals visiting can increase the presence of persistent organic pollutants and microplastic within Antarctic soil. Studies have focused primarily on identifying these pollutants in high human impact areas with perhaps an assumption that low human impact areas would have lower concentrations of pollutants. The object of this paper, therefore, was to test the hypothesis that higher concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and microplastic are found in soils collected near research stations and tourist areas, as opposed to sites that are further from stations and have less direct human impact. Soil samples were collected along a 1,500 km transect of the Scotia Arch and Antarctic Peninsula from three high human impact sites and three low human impact sites to compare the concentration of contaminates identified within the soil. The presence and quantities of microplastic were identified using Nile Red and fluorescence microscopy, while gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to detect polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, n-alkane, and phthalates. Although varying contaminate concentration levels were found at all six sights, counter to the hypothesis, there were no clear patterns of increasing pollutants with increasing human activities. These findings could imply that global sources of pollutants can increase local pollutants indicating the best way to solve any pollution problem is through a global lens.