In general, scientists found in the Arctic 17 types of artificial materials, among them – polyethylene and polypropylene, lacquer, nylon and others.

Scientists of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Bremerhaven, Germany) discovered a record concentration of synthetic particles in blocks of ice of the Arctic Ocean. According to Deutsche Welle, some tests showed more than 12 thousand microparticles of plastic per liter of ice. The results of the research were published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

It is noted that scientists have studied ice samples from five different regions near the North Pole that were collected during the polar expeditions in 2014 and 2015. For research, a special infrared spectrometer was used, which detects microparticles one-sixth in diameter in diameter. Thus, experts found several times the higher concentration of plastic in ice samples, in comparison with the samples of previous studies. In general, scientists found 17 types of artificial materials, among them – polyethylene and polypropylene, lacquer, nylon and the like. More than half of the detected microparticles have a diameter of one twentieth of a millimeter. Scientists are concerned that these particles can serve as food for crustaceans and infusorians. The researchers suggest that the plastic microparticles can settle fairly quickly on the ocean floor because they are overgrown with algae, bacteria and become heavier. Among the causes of pollution of the Arctic Ocean plastic called the development of international navigation and fisheries. Earlier it was reported that scientists discovered an enzyme that corrodes plastic in just a few days. Under normal conditions, the decomposition of plastic need about 400 years.