peer reviewed | The northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis ingests a larger number of (micro)plastics than many other seabirds due to its feeding habits and gut morphology. Since 2002, they are bioindicators of marine plastics in the North Sea region, and data are needed to extend the programme to other parts of their distribution areas, such as the Arctic. In this study, we provide data on ingested plastics by fulmars collected in 1997 in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. An extraction protocol with KOH was used and for half of the birds, the gizzard and the proventricular contents were analysed separately. Ninety-one percent of the birds had ingested at least one piece of plastic with an average of 10.3 (±11.9 SD) pieces. The gizzards contained significantly more plastics than the proventriculus. Hard fragments and polyethylene were the most common characteristics. Twelve percent of the birds exceeded the EcoQO value of 0.1 g.

peer reviewed | Anthropogenic particles (APs), including microplastics, are ingested by a wide variety of marine organisms. Exposure of Clupeiformes (e.g. herrings, anchovies, sardines) is poorly studied despite their economic and ecological importance. This study aims to describe the morphology of the filtration apparatus of three wild-caught Clupeiformes (Sardina pilchardus, Clupea harengus and Engraulis encrasicolus) and to relate the results to ingested APs. Consequently, the species with the more efficient filtration apparatus will be more likely to ingest APs. We hypothesized that sardines were the most exposed species. The filtration area and particle retention threshold were determined in the three species, with sardines displaying the highest filtration area and the closest gill rakers. Sardines ingested more fibers and smaller fragments, confirming that it is the most efficient filtering species. These two results lead to the conclusion that, among the three studied, the sardine is the species most exposed to APs.

peer reviewed | Microplastic contamination is an emerging issue in the marine environment including the Arctic. However, the occurrence of microplastics in the Arctic fjords remains less understood. Sample collections were conducted by trawling horizontally in surface water (0-0.4-m depth) and trawling vertically in the water column (0-200-m depth) to investigate the abundance, composition, and distribution of microplastics in the Rijpfjorden, Northern Svalbard, in the summer of 2017. Laser Direct Infrared chemical imaging technique was applied for the counting and identification of microplastic particles. A total of 1010 microplastic particles and 14 mesoplastics were identified from 41,038 particles in eight samples from the Rijpfjorden. The abundance of microplastics larger than 300 µm was 0.15 ± 0.19 n/m3 in surface water, and 0.15 ± 0.03 n/m3 in the water column of the Rijpfjorden. The microplastic particles identified in Rijpfjorden water consisted of 10 types of polymers. The dominant microplastics are polyurethane, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, polystyrene, polypropylene, and alkyd varnish. Historical ship activities and newly melted sea ice might be major sources of microplastics in the seawater of Rijpfjorden. In general, contamination of microplastics larger than 300 µm in Rijpfjorden water is at a low level in comparison to other polar waters. Further research is needed to confirm the origin and fate of microplastics below 300 µm in Arctic fjords.