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<p>Plastic contamination has become a global concern, with evidence even in remote regions like Antarctica. While macro- and microplastics have been documented in Antarctic marine ecosystems, their presence in soils - particularly submicro- and nanoplastics - remains poorly studied. This study analyses soil samples from the McMurdo Dry Valleys collected on January 8th to 28th, 2023, and reports the first detection of nanoplastics - including polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and tyre wear particles - using thermal desorption proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. These plastics were detected at multiple topsoil sampling sites (<i>n</i> = 13), with concentrations reaching up to 295 ng g⁻¹ with nanoplastics detected above polymer-specific method detection limits at 54% of sites (median: 26.6 ng g⁻¹). They were also detected at lower concentrations in deeper soil layers (&gt; 20&#xa0;cm; <i>n</i> = 4), where nanoplastics were present at 50% of the sampled sites (median: 1.95 ng g⁻¹). Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART suggested seasonal deposition patterns, with inputs from both local sources and long-range atmospheric transport. This evidence shows that soils in one of Earth’s most pristine environments are not exempt from plastic contamination, with the reported concentrations providing a crucial baseline for global pollution assessments. These findings also highlight the urgent need to study plastic fate, transport, and ecological impacts in polar regions.</p>

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First evidence of nanoplastics in Antarctica soil

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月4日

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  • Quynh Nhu Phan Le,
  • Nikolaos Evangeliou,
  • Crispin Halsall,
  • John N. Quinton,
  • Ben W. J. Surridge,
  • Lorna Ashton,
  • Sabine Eckhardt,
  • Livio Ruggiero,
  • Alessandra Sciarra,
  • Fabio Florindo,
  • Claudio Zaccone,
  • Dušan Materić

摘要

Plastic contamination has become a global concern, with evidence even in remote regions like Antarctica. While macro- and microplastics have been documented in Antarctic marine ecosystems, their presence in soils - particularly submicro- and nanoplastics - remains poorly studied. This study analyses soil samples from the McMurdo Dry Valleys collected on January 8th to 28th, 2023, and reports the first detection of nanoplastics - including polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and tyre wear particles - using thermal desorption proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. These plastics were detected at multiple topsoil sampling sites (n = 13), with concentrations reaching up to 295 ng g⁻¹ with nanoplastics detected above polymer-specific method detection limits at 54% of sites (median: 26.6 ng g⁻¹). They were also detected at lower concentrations in deeper soil layers (> 20 cm; n = 4), where nanoplastics were present at 50% of the sampled sites (median: 1.95 ng g⁻¹). Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART suggested seasonal deposition patterns, with inputs from both local sources and long-range atmospheric transport. This evidence shows that soils in one of Earth’s most pristine environments are not exempt from plastic contamination, with the reported concentrations providing a crucial baseline for global pollution assessments. These findings also highlight the urgent need to study plastic fate, transport, and ecological impacts in polar regions.