Editorial: Microplastics in the marine environment: Sources, distribution, biological effects and socio-economic impacts

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PLASTICS IN THE ANTARCTIC ENVIRONMENT: ARE WE LOOKING ONLY AT THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG?

The available literature on marine debris and its impacts in the sub-Antarctic Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula and on the coasts of Antarctica was organized and interpreted here. A total of 98 documents covering from 1982 to 2010 were found and 95% had their full contents accessed. Seventy documents were on line scientific abstracts from the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The occurrence of marine debris in the Antarctic environment, fur seals entanglement in marine debris, interactions between seabirds and marine debris and long range transport of benthos on floating plastics were the main issues discussed. Fishing operations in the Southern Ocean were identified as the major source of marine debris, but according to the type of debris reported, plastics from lower latitudes may also cross the Polar Front (PF). Possible links between Antarctic and South America, the closest intercontinental connection, in relation to plastic marine debris pollution are highlighted. As reported for lower latitudinal gradients, plastic pollution is an important problem to the Antarctic environment. However, specific and detailed works are necessary since our current knowledge probably expose only a small part of the real problem. Concerning this sort of pollution in the Antarctic marine and coastal environments, we may be looking solely at the tip of iceberg.PLÁSTICOS   EN   EL   ECOSISTEMA   ANTÁRTICO:   ¿SERÁ   QUE   ESTAMOS   VIENDO SOLAMENTE LA PUNTA DEL ICEBERG?  En este trabajo fue organizada y interpretada la literatura científica relacionada con la presencia y los impactos de basura marina en islas sub-antárticas, en la Península Antártica y en la costa del continente Antártico. Fueron encontrados un total de 98 documentos, publicados entre 1982 e 2010, de los cuales se tuvo acceso a la totalidad del documento en el 95% de los casos. Setenta documentos son resúmenes científicos de la Comisión para la Conservación de los Recursos Marinos en la Antártica (CCAMLR, en inglés) disponibles para consulta en internet. La ocurrencia de basura marina en el ecosistema Antártico  (principalmente  en  playas  arenosas),  el  enredamiento  de  lobos  marinos  en  diferentes ítems de basura, interacciones (ingestión, enredamiento y ocurrencia de basura en áreas de nidificación) entre aves marinas y la basura, y el transporte de organismos bentónicos en plásticos flotantes fueron los asuntos más abordados en los documentos analizados. Operaciones de pesca en el Océano Atlántico Sur fueron identificadas como  la  mayor  fuente  de  basura  para  el  ambiente,  pero  plásticos  originados  en  menores  latitudes  también fueron  identificados,  indicando  transporte  a  través  del  Frente  Polar  (PF,  en  inglés). También  se  abordan  y se  discuten  en  este  trabajo,  posibles  links  entre  la Antártica  y América  del  Sul,  la  conexión  más  próxima intercontinental, en relación a la contaminación por plásticos. Como es reportado para gradientes latitudinales menores, la contaminación por plásticos es un problema relevante para el ecosistema Antártico. Sin embargo, estudios más específicos y detallados son necesarios ya que el conocimiento actual representa, probablemente, solo una pequeña parte del verdadero problema. En relación a este tipo de contaminación en los ambientes marinos y costeros del ecosistema Antártico, posiblemente estamos viendo solo la punta del iceberg. Palabras clave: Especies exóticas; A. gazella; Procellariiformes; hilos de nylon; fragmentos plásticos.PLÁSTICOS NO ECOSSISTEMA ANTÁRTICO: SERÁ QUE ESTAMOS VENDO SOMENTE A PONTA DO ICEBERG? A literatura científica relacionada à presença e aos impactos do lixo marinho em Ilhas Sub-Antárticas, na Península Antártica e na costa do continente Antártico foi organizada e interpretada neste trabalho. Um total de 98 documentos, publicados entre 1982 e 2010, foi encontrado e 95% tiveram seu conteúdo acessado integralmente. Setenta documentos são resumos científicos da Comissão para a Conservação dos Recursos Marinhos na Antártica (CCAMLR, em inglês) disponíveis para consulta na internet.  A ocorrência de lixo marinho no ecossistema Antártico (principalmente praias arenosas), o enredamento de lobos marinhos em itens do lixo, interações (ingestão, enredamento e ocorrência de lixo em áreas de nidificação) entre aves marinhas e o lixo, e o transporte de organismos bentônicos em plásticos flutuantes foram os assuntos mais abordados  nos  documentos  analisados.  Operações  de  pesca  no  Oceano  Atlântico  Sul  foram  identificadas como a maior fonte de lixo para o ambiente, mas plásticos originados em menores latitudes também foram identificados, indicando transporte através da Frente Polar (PF, em inglês). Possíveis links entre a Antárticae a América do Sul, a mais próxima conexão intercontinental, em relação à poluição por plásticos também estão destacados e discutidos neste trabalho. Como reportado para menores gradientes latitudinais, a poluição por plásticos é um problema relevante para o ecossistema Antártico. Entretanto, estudos mais específicos e detalhados são necessários já que o conhecimento atual representa, provavelmente, só uma pequena parte do verdadeiro problema. Em relação a este tipo de poluição nos ambientes marinhos e costeiros do ecossistema Antártico, nós estamos possivelmente vendo somente a ponta do iceberg. Palavras-chave: Espécies exóticas;  A. gazella; Procellariiformes; linhas de nylon; fragmentos plásticos

The East Gotland Basin (Baltic Sea) as a candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series

The short sediment core EMB201/7-4 retrieved from the East Gotland Basin, central Baltic Sea, is explored here as a candidate to host the stratigraphical basis for the Anthropocene series and its equivalent Anthropocene epoch, still to be formalized in the Geological Time Scale. The core has been accurately dated back to 1840 CE using a well-established event stratigraphy approach. A pronounced and significant change occurs at 26.5 cm (dated 1956 ± 4 CE) for a range of geochemical markers including 239+240Pu, 241Am, fly-ash particles, DDT (organochlorine insecticide), total organic carbon, and bulk organic carbon stable isotopes. This stratigraphic level, which corresponds to a change in both lithology and sediment colour related to early anthropogenic-triggered eutrophication of the central Baltic Sea, is proposed as a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series

Is the Anthropocene distinct from the Holocene? [abstract only]

The inaugural meeting of the Anthropocene Working Group of the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy in Berlin (Oct. 2014) produced a consensus statement that “humans have altered geologic processes across the Earth system sufficiently to cause a planetary transition to a new interval of geological time”, with the timing of the onset the focus of continued debate, but with a majority in favour of a mid-20th century beginning. The name has driven the assumption that the Anthropocene should be an epoch, but are its signatures truly driven out of the range evident for most of the Holocene, or are changes comparable or subsidiary to Holocene stages? The evidence rests upon a broad range of signatures reflecting humanity’s significant and increasing modification of Earth systems. These are visible in anthropogenic deposits in the form of the greatest expansion of novel minerals in the last 2.4 billion years and development of ubiquitous materials, such as plastics, present in the environment only in the last 60 years. Globally distributed spherical carbonaceous particles of fly ash represent another near-synchronous and permanent proxy. The artefacts we produce, the technofossils of the future, provide a decadal to annual stratigraphical resolution. These materials and deposits have in recent decades extended into the oceans and increasingly into the subsurface both onshore and offshore. These anthropogenic deposits are transported at rates exceeding those of the sediment carried by rivers by an order of magnitude, fluvial systems themselves showing widespread sediment retention in response to dam construction across most major river systems. The Anthropocene is evident in sediment and glacial ice strata as chemical markers. CO2 in the atmosphere has risen by ~45 percent above pre-Industrial Revolution levels, mainly through combustion of hydrocarbons over a few decades. Although average global temperature increases and resultant sea-level rises are still comparatively small, the shift to more negative δ13C values in tree-rings, limestones, speleothems, calcareous fossils and δ13CO2 in ice forms a permanent record. Nitrogen and phosphorus contents in surface soils has approximately doubled through increased use of fertilizers to increase agricultural yields as the human population has also doubled in the last 50 years. Industrial metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn and persistent organic compounds have been widely and rapidly dispersed. A clear novel signature is radioactive fallout from atomic weapons testing, initiated in 1945 but becoming global in 1952 and in the case of Pu239 representing a long-lasting marker event. The Earth still has most of its complement of biological species, though many now as small populations: current trends of habitat loss and predation, if maintained, will push the Earth into the sixth mass extinction event in the next few centuries. Dramatic elapsed changes include trans-global species invasions and population modification through agricultural development on land and contamination of coastal zones. Although these changes are not synchronous, within near coastal environments microfauna/flora commonly show pronounced assemblage changes in the mid-20th century. Considering the entire range of environmental changes reflected in stratigraphic signatures, the global, large and rapid scale of change related to the mid-20th century is clearly distinct from previous Holocene signatures, consistent with interpretation of the Anthropocene as a potential epoch

The Anthropocene is a prospective epoch/series, not a geological event

The Anthropocene defined as an epoch/series within the Geological Time Scale, and with an isochronous inception in the mid-20th century, would both utilize the rich array of stratigraphic signals associated with the Great Acceleration and align with Earth System science analysis from where the term Anthropocene originated. It would be stratigraphically robust and reflect the reality that our planet has far exceeded the range of natural variability for the Holocene Epoch/Series which it would terminate. An alternative, recently advanced, time-transgressive ‘geological event’ definition would decouple the Anthropocene from its stratigraphic characterisation and association with a major planetary perturbation. We find this proposed anthropogenic ‘event’ to be primarily an interdisciplinary concept in which historical, cultural and social processes and their global environmental impacts are all flexibly interpreted within a multi-scalar framework. It is very different from a stratigraphic-methods-based Anthropocene epoch/series designation, but as an anthropogenic phenomenon, if separately defined and differently named, might be usefully complementary to it

Scale and diversity of the physical technosphere: a geological perspective

We assess the scale and extent of the physical technosphere, defined here as the summed material output of the contemporary human enterprise. It includes active urban, agricultural and marine components, used to sustain energy and material flow for current human life, and a growing residue layer, currently only in small part recycled back into the active component. Preliminary estimates suggest a technosphere mass of approximately 30 trillion tonnes (Tt), which helps support a human biomass that, despite recent growth, is ~5 orders of magnitude smaller. The physical technosphere includes a large, rapidly growing diversity of complex objects that are potential trace fossils or ‘technofossils’. If assessed on palaeontological criteria, technofossil diversity already exceeds known estimates of biological diversity as measured by richness, far exceeds recognized fossil diversity, and may exceed total biological diversity through Earth’s history. The rapid transformation of much of Earth’s surface mass into the technosphere and its myriad components underscores the novelty of the current planetary transformation

Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Anthropocene Series: Where and how to look for potential candidates

International audienc

Skin irritation and histopathologic alterations in rats exposed to lightstick contents, UV radiation and seawater

Lightsticks are fishing gadgets that provide fluorescent lighting when two organic solutions are mixed. In NE Brazil, low-income coastal residents ignore their conventional use and collect lightsticks stranded on beaches. The lightstick solution is then used for various purposes, including direct human skin exposure. We assessed the reactions and possible cell damages on the skin of Wistar rats. Animals were exposed to lightstick contents, UV radiation and/or seawater. Lightstick exposure led to erythemas, oedemas and vesicles. Histopathologic alterations included proliferation of the epidermis and inflammatory infiltrates. In spite of the short time of experimentation (4 days), the rats exposed to the lightstick content alone and together with UV radiation and/or seawater provided evidence of irritation/alteration reactions that may evolve into skin cancer. Our results demonstrated a few of the potential problems associated with lightstick dumping into the ocean and highlight the need for further investigations about this new type of marine pollutant

Plastics in the Antarctic environment: Are we looking only at the tip of the iceberg?

The available literature on marine debris and its impacts in the sub-Antarctic Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula and on the coasts of Antarctica was organized and interpreted here. A total of 98 documents covering from 1982 to 2010 were found and 95% had their full contents accessed. Seventy documents were on line scientific abstracts from the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The occurrence of marine debris in the Antarctic environment, fur seals entanglement in marine debris, interactions between seabirds and marine debris and long range transport of benthos on floating plastics were the main issues discussed. Fishing operations in the Southern Ocean were identified as the major source of marine debris, but according to the type of debris reported, plastics from lower latitudes may also cross the Polar Front (PF). Possible links between Antarctic and South America, the closest intercontinental connection, in relation to plastic marine debris pollution are highlighted. As reported for lower latitudinal gradients, plastic pollution is an important problem to the Antarctic environment. However, specific and detailed works are necessary since our current knowledge probably expose only a small part of the real problem. Concerning this sort of pollution in the Antarctic marine and coastal environments, we may be looking solely at the tip of iceberg

ANNEX: CROSSING THE DRAKE PASSAGE: FROM BRAZIL TO ANTARCTICA WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF POLAR EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS (APECS-BRAZIL)

APECS Lette