Microplastic particles have been found in the oceans close to
Antarctica, data collected during the Volvo Ocean Race has revealed. The new data comes from the Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme,
funded by Volvo Cars. Scientists analysed water samples, gathered at
points during Leg 2 of the Race, between Lisbon and Cape Town and Leg 3
from Cape Town to Melbourne. The groundbreaking results, announced at the Volvo Ocean Race Hong
Kong Ocean Summit, found microplastics in the Southern Ocean close to
the Antarctic Ice Exclusion Zone.
Compared to other Oceans the number of microplastic particles was
small however, four microplastic particles per cubic metre were still
found. Over one million microplastic particles per square kilometre of ocean
were found in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, west of Cape Town, South
Africa.And on the third leg of the race, one and a half million
microplastic particles per square kilometre of ocean were discovered
east of South Africa. In Australian waters, close to Melbourne, one
million microplastic particles per square kilometre of ocean were found.
The tiny particles of plastic, which break down from larger pieces
such as single-use plastic bottles, were collected by Race team ‘Turn
the Tide on Plastic’ during the round the world race. “This new information confirms the results we had previously
collected from European waters and shows that there are consistently
high levels of micro plastic in the ocean and we are also seeing low
levels of microplastics in waters close to the Antarctic,” said
Gutekunst, who works at GEOMAR, an ocean research institute in Kiel,
Germany.
“The Turn the Tide on Plastic race team is collecting extremely
valuable scientific data that will help us gain a clearer picture of the
amount of micro plastics in our oceans.”
Microplastic has the potential to enter the food chain, in species
such as tuna and mackerel, and can cause harm to humans, too. It
consists of small particles of plastic, often invisible to the naked eye
and less than 5mm.
At the Hong Kong Ocean Summit, Daisy Lo, assistant director of
environmental protection, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(HKSAR) government, pledged to explore ways to reduce plastic at source,
revealed plans for a $HK20 million fund for upgrading plastic recycling
facilities and talked of efforts to clean up the marine environment.
Anne-Cecile Turner, Sustainability Programme Leader for the Volvo
Ocean Race, said: “We know very little about exactly how much
microplastic is contaminating our oceans so this data provides
information for the scientific community and the wider public. “Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summits offer a platform to showcase
innovative solutions to the global crisis of plastic polluting our
oceans.”
The news comes as Volvo Ocean Race boat Team AkzoNobel has been
announced as the second team to use the on-board data gathering
equipment to measure water quality and composition, as well as
microplastics in some of the world’s remotest oceans. The scientific research was collected using a state-of-the-art
instrument, designed especially for the Volvo Ocean 65 racing yacht.
Volvo Cars is funding the Volvo Ocean Race Science Programme by
donating €100 from the first 3,000 sales of the new V90 Cross Country
Volvo Ocean Race edition vehicle. Consisting of three key pillars – meteorological data collection,
scientific drifter buoy deployment, and on board analysis of key metrics
for ocean health including salinity, temperature, dissolved CO2 and
Chlorophyll a – this Science Programme aims to create a snapshot of the
health of the oceans to help scientists worldwide.
Speakers at the Hong Kong event included Sam Barratt, Chief of Public
Advocacy & Communications, United Nations Environment; Christopher
Wahlborg, Business Manager Automotive, Stena Recycling AB; Safia
Qureshi, The Cup Club; and Patrick Yeung, Project Manager Oceans
Conservation, WWF.
Ellie Cottrell, a 12th Grade student in Hong Kong, gave an impassioned presentation on the impacts plastics are having on waters around Hong Kong. Seven teams compete in the round-the-world race – dubbed the toughest
test of a team in professional sport – racing 45,000 nautical miles and
visiting 12 Host Cities on six continents.
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