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A Turkish scientific team traveling as part of the 8th National Antarctic Scientific Expedition is investigating the presence of micro-, meso- and macro-sized plastics in Antarctic ocean and lake ecosystems.
Under the Turkish President’s Office and the Ministry of Industry and Technology, and coordinated by Turkey-based Tuvitak Mam Polar Research Institute, seven scientists from the expedition carried out the project by sampling the sea and lakes on Horseshoe Island and its surrounding areas. completed.
Scientists assessed multiple anthropogenic pressures on aquatic ecosystems by investigating the physicochemical characteristics of marine ecosystems in the region.
Expedition participant Urgen Aytan, a lecturer in the Department of Marine Biology at the Faculty of Fisheries at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that plastic pollution is not always visible. “The threat to our planet is rapidly increasing, especially as the portions that are chronically produced in daily life have shrunk to less than 5 millimeters,” he said.
Eitan pointed out that microplastics can be encountered in water, sediment, glaciers and organisms in Antarctic ecosystems, thousands of kilometers away from human influence, and continued, “Our The purpose is to investigate the existence of micro, meso, and macro.” The aim is to investigate the size of plastics present in the freshwater resources, glacial lakes and oceans of Horseshoe Island, where Turkey’s scientific research camp is located, to identify their sources and assess the environmental risks they pose to this ecosystem. I am. ”
Eitan said samples were taken from the ocean, lake water and sediment on Horseshoe Island for plastic analysis, which will determine the type, size, color and polymer content of the plastic to help assess the environmental risk. He said it would be completed. at the Microplastics Research Institute of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University in Turkiye.
Eitan emphasized that “plastic” is a very general term, and said that the term includes plastics with different polymer structures and therefore chemical components.
Eitan explained that the analysis they will carry out will allow them to assess how much of a risk the discovered plastics pose to this ecosystem using an environmental hazard score.
Pointing out that mostly single-use plastics exist in marine and freshwater environments, Eitan said, “We particularly encounter polymers such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene, but preliminary research in Antarctica has shown that We also encountered microplastics.” Polyacrylonitrile is formed especially during the use and washing of synthetic fibers and can be transported with the atmosphere to polar regions. ”
After his work in the region, Eitan noted the importance of improving these polymers, especially those used in synthetic fibers.
“Additional chemicals used in the plastics industry need to be improved. And we aim to deliver the results you get.” Coming from a very special ecosystem like Antarctica. ”
Professor Ertugrul Arbaş, a lecturer at the Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Fisheries, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University and a participant in the expedition, said that the most important evidence of climate change is the increase in atmospheric temperature and the seawater abnormalities it causes.
Commenting on the research on Horseshoe Island, Aalbash said: “We are looking to further our research on marine phytoplankton, a largely understudied topic in this region, and provide a basis for future research in this context. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
“Phytoplankton organisms are the first group of organisms to directly respond to changes caused by changing climatic conditions, and monitoring them will allow us to prepare for possible future climate change scenarios,” Agrbash said. ” he said.
He said this is a project to investigate nutrient dynamics in the region using phytoplankton functional group ratios, pigment composition, microscopic cell counts, and hydrographic measurements.
Pointing out that Antarctica is the most important region that influences and controls the world’s climate, Aalbash said: “We hope this research will contribute to the sustainable management of the Antarctic ecosystem and I believe that this will contribute to the future of Antarctica.” world. “
Professor Nuket Shivli, a faculty member at Istanbul University’s Serapasa Faculty of Environmental Engineering and a participant in the expedition, also sampled seawater at many points during the expedition.
In the project on “Determination of Critical Materials (CHM) Concentrations in Polar Regions and Adaptation of Potential Ecological Risk Indices to the Polar Regions”, Shivli will discuss “How are critical raw materials important for industrial production and production sourced? “Is that so?” he asked. Does the sustainable functioning of the economy influence the health of aquatic ecosystems in the Antarctic region? “Could toxic effects or anthropogenic pressures be observed in the polar regions? How does the Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) differ from the index established for the Arctic? Searching for answers to these questions led him to complete part of his project on the White Continent.
Another expedition participant, Professor Mehtap Dursun, also researched the construction of infrastructure for environmental testing for micropollutants in Antarctica.
Durson said micropollutants can generally be defined as micro- and nano-level pollutants that harm organisms in the aquatic environment, “particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons formed as a result of incomplete combustion and agricultural We are investigating the environmental presence of pesticides used in The purpose is in Antarctica. ”
Explaining that they sampled lakes and snowwater on Horseshoe Island as part of their research, Durson said: “We have carried out ocean sampling at approximately 25 locations. We will continue to carry out ocean sampling in the future as large amounts of water are required to analyze micropollutants in the current environment.” Our method provides results by analyzing samples pretreated in Türkiye’s laboratory onboard the ship, without transporting the water to the laboratory. ”
Darson noted that they aim to build environmental monitoring infrastructure in Antarctica, adding, “We hope that the data obtained as a result of this study will be used in the future to “We will look at the continuity of environmental monitoring and changes over time.” future. “
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