Plastic pollution combined with ocean acidification hinders the development of Antarctic krill in the Southern Ocean, research published today (4 August 2021) in Marine Frontiers reveals.
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are shrimp-like crustaceans that play a critical role in the polar oceans. They are the main diet of whales, penguins and seals and play a critical role in promoting the transport of carbon to the depths of the ocean. However, krill and their habitats are threated by the impacts of climate change and a wide range of pollutants, including plastics.
Scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory looked at the impact of nanoplastic – the smallest form of plastic pollution, invisible to the naked eye and at least 2000 times smaller than a grain of sand – under current and future ocean acidification conditions. Antarctic krill are especially vulnerable to these environmental stressors due to their close association with sea ice, a known area where plastic accumulates and the more rapid ocean acidification at higher latitudes, such as the Southern Ocean.
Read more at British Antarctic Survey
Photo Credit: Uwe Kils via Wikimedia Commons
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