Fig. 2: Microplastic concentration, fibre length, and polyester profiles.
From: Pervasive distribution of polyester fibres in the Arctic Ocean is driven by Atlantic inputs
Contour plots and longitude regression analyses for A FTIR-confirmed microplastic concentration (MP m−3); B mean fibre length (µm); and C Infra-red peak ratio indices for polyester fibres (index of the ratio of heights of a de novo peak and a commercial reference peak observed in infra red spectra for polyester; see section “Methods”) across the Arctic Ocean. Data based on 71 near-surface (3–8 m depth) samples collected via vessel seawater intakes from four cruises aboard three vessels in summer 2016. Plots on the right panels show MP concentration, mean fibre length, and infra-red Peak Ratio Index (Ln transformed) as a function of longitude across the Arctic (regression data exclude samples from the polar region > 85oN). Centre point is the North Pole, North America lies to the SW and Europe to the SE of each map. Ocean Data View 5.2.0. The raw data underlying the figures can be found in the Supplementary Table 2.
