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Macroplastics
The map shows the first analysis of what we found in terms of macroplastic contamination. This is pieces of plastic that were observed by eye, either while canoeing down the river or on the river bank. The map shows all the locations where we stopped and identifies where individual pieces of macroplastic were found. So, the green squares show locations where no plastic was found and the red show where between 20 and 50 pieces were found in one location. These pieces of plastic ranged from bits that we suspect most people would have missed if they hadn't been looking, to much larger pieces that were obvious from quite a distance away. Some examples are shown below. |
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We've also analysed how frequently pieces of plastic were found. The graph below shows the number of pieces every 50 km from McClusky lake. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, the maximum number found was in the area around Fort McPherson. We'll be posting the findings from the microplastic analysis here soon.
Full report Non-technical Summary
Plastic contamination of rivers and oceans has gained widespread media and public attention recently, particularly in Europe as a result of various high-profile television programmes. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that around 13 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the world’s oceans annually. The impact of macroplastic on marine ecosystems is widely known, the most obvious examples being fatalities through ingestion and entanglement. There is much less understanding about the impact of microplastics in the marine environment, and less still about its distribution. The source of much of the microplastic in the ocean is, perhaps unsurprisingly, from rivers.
Much research is ongoing into the presence of plastic in rivers that are affected by urbanisation and industry. Even in these locations, there are very limited data. For rivers that are, or at least should be, unaffected by urbanisation and industry, there are virtually no data so far.
The aim of this research is to determine whether plastic contamination can be detected in a remote wilderness location with minimal anthropogenic interference. The Wind, Peel and Mackenzie river systems in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada was selected as an exemplar of this type of environment.
Samples were collected at multiple locations during an expedition undertaken in July 2018. Samples were analysed for the presence of microplastic contamination (pieces less than 5 mm in size). A record was also made of macroplastic contamination (pieces greater than 5 mm).
The results showed that with reasonable confidence observable microplastic contamination is present within the rivers of the Wind, Peel and Mackenzie drainage basins.
Further, more sophisticated, sampling and analysis is required to confirm the results and remove some of the possible sources of error in the data.
The full report on the outcome of the expedition is available for download below.
Plastic contamination of rivers and oceans has gained widespread media and public attention recently, particularly in Europe as a result of various high-profile television programmes. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that around 13 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the world’s oceans annually. The impact of macroplastic on marine ecosystems is widely known, the most obvious examples being fatalities through ingestion and entanglement. There is much less understanding about the impact of microplastics in the marine environment, and less still about its distribution. The source of much of the microplastic in the ocean is, perhaps unsurprisingly, from rivers.
Much research is ongoing into the presence of plastic in rivers that are affected by urbanisation and industry. Even in these locations, there are very limited data. For rivers that are, or at least should be, unaffected by urbanisation and industry, there are virtually no data so far.
The aim of this research is to determine whether plastic contamination can be detected in a remote wilderness location with minimal anthropogenic interference. The Wind, Peel and Mackenzie river systems in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada was selected as an exemplar of this type of environment.
Samples were collected at multiple locations during an expedition undertaken in July 2018. Samples were analysed for the presence of microplastic contamination (pieces less than 5 mm in size). A record was also made of macroplastic contamination (pieces greater than 5 mm).
The results showed that with reasonable confidence observable microplastic contamination is present within the rivers of the Wind, Peel and Mackenzie drainage basins.
Further, more sophisticated, sampling and analysis is required to confirm the results and remove some of the possible sources of error in the data.
The full report on the outcome of the expedition is available for download below.
| microplastic_in_a_wilderness_river_system_final_report.pdf |