cross-posted from: slrpnk.net/post/23409897
- An expedition by more than 50 researchers from seven countries has documented the gradual degradation of Antarctica: microplastics in the water, melting ice, and declining salinity in the Southern Ocean.
- The team found microplastics in both glacial ice and seawater.
- They also noted that atmospheric “rivers” are sending ash-laden air from Amazon forest fires to Antarctica, hastening the melting of snow and ice there.
- The accelerated melting means more freshwater is rushing into the Southern Ocean, reducing the salinity level and affecting the phytoplankton that form the basis of the marine food chain.
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