New Paper on marine debris found near Palmer Station

Fig. 3. Photos of example items found (A) A 185 mL bottle of Bona Forte fertilizer for houseplants (in Russian), (B) 100 mL metal bottle of Ethylchloride for pain
relief (in Spanish) (left) and an unidentifiable metal bottle (right), (C) what appears to be a Dunlop Mens Purofort Thermo Wellington Boot, which is steel toe and
protects under cold conditions, (D) estimated 40 lbs. of line, buoy (~ 2 m diameter) and cloth/mesh (note the human for scale), and (E) a Master Kong plastic water
bottle cap (in Chinese). All items pictured were found in the Joubins Islands with BCE, A, and D on island 76, 12 and 18, respectively.

In a new paper, Katherine Gallagher, Gina Selig, and Megan Cimino document their recent observations of marine debris around Palmer Station in Antarctica. Last season, they found 135 pieces of marine debris along the shore, and near the seabird nests and colonies they surveyed. Their paper discusses the physical factors likely driving debris to the region, and the need for future surveys and tracking to better understand the potential impacts of plastic pollution in this important ecological area.

You can find the full paper here:

Gallagher, K. L., Selig, G. M., & Cimino, M. A. (2024). Descriptions and patterns in opportunistic marine debris collected near Palmer Station, Antarctica. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 199, 115952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115952

The related dataset can also downloaded from our archive:

Palmer Station Antarctica LTER, K. Gallagher, G. Selig, and M. Cimino. 2023. Marine Debris Opportunistically Collected around Palmer Station, 2022-2023 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/51fb854e151dc00ffcba786080a43dbe (Accessed 2024-01-02).