A pioneering study conducted by scientists from the UNLP, CONICET, and the SMN confirms for the first time the atmospheric pollution with the presence of plastic fibers and polymers in the subantarctic region, suggesting long-distance transport.
The atmospheric pollution with plastic has reached one of the most southern corners of the planet. A pioneering study confirmed the existence of microplastics in the air of the Beagle Channel, in the province of Tierra del Fuego. This finding, the first of its kind in the subantarctic region, demonstrates that not even the most remote ecosystems are free from the atmospheric transport of these pollutants.
The research was the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration between experts from the Center for Marine and Atmospheric Research (CIMA), the National Meteorological Service (SMN), and the Center for Inorganic Chemistry (CEQUINOR), the latter dependent on the National University of La Plata (UNLP), CONICET, and the Scientific Research Commission (CIC).
The work, whose results were recently published in the international scientific journal Chemosphere, was led by researchers Lucas Rodríguez Pirani and Lorena Picone. The authors highlighted that while marine pollution is well studied, airborne transport is consolidating as a key mechanism in the global dispersion of plastics.
The methodology was based on a proposal by Gabriel Silvestri from CIMA to use passive air monitors. These devices were strategically installed on Isla Redonda, a remote area within the Tierra del Fuego National Park. This location was chosen for being a pristine environment, without local emission sources, ensuring the suitability of sampling airborne pollutants.
The sampling period extended for 18 months, from October 2021 to March 2023. The collected samples were processed at CEQUINOR in La Plata and, in part, at the National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) in Campinas, Brazil, using spectroscopic techniques.
The analyses identified a total of 77 recovered particles. Of these, more than 80% were fibers, including polyamide, polyester, polyethylene, and semi-synthetic cotton. Notably, industrial pigments were also detected, such as indigo, commonly used in the textile industry.
The dimensions of the fibers, ranging from 100 to 3,000 micrometers, are consistent with findings in other isolated environments globally. According to the research team, both the composition of the plastics and the presence of dyes suggest a long-range atmospheric pollution transport. The most likely source of this pollution is the large urban centers located in the south of South America.
The Beagle Channel is not only a strategic enclave due to its geography; it is also an area that combines increasing human pressure (derived from tourism, port, and industrial activity) with strong winds. Specialists warn that due to the prevailing northwesterly winds, this region could be functioning as a direct corridor for the transport of pollutants, acting as an entry portal to the Antarctic Peninsula.
This study underscores the urgency of expanding environmental monitoring in the region. The scientific team emphasized that the work sets a key precedent for the systematic monitoring of microplastics in the air of the Beagle Channel and other high-latitude areas, insisting on the need to integrate subantarctic areas into global environmental observation networks.
