Fig. 1: Number concentrations of microplastics (MPs) along the cruise path from the mid-Northern Hemisphere to Antarctica.
From: Long-range atmospheric transport of microplastics across the southern hemisphere
a Fibers and b Fragments concentrations at low, mid, and high latitudes along the cruise path and over inland Antarctica; c MPs fibers, d MPs fragments, e non-plastic fibers, and f non-plastic fragments variations in concentration along the cruise path. t-test analysis between the inland Antarctic sites and other latitude regions were performed in panels (a) and (b), and a stepwise linear regression was used to determine the relationship between particles concentrations and latitudes in panels c-f. Symbol of * indicates p < 0.05. The groups under black lines showed the same statistical analysis results with the comparing groups. Area enclosed by dotted lines (panels c–f) represent 95% confidence bands. N-low, low, mid, and high latitudes represent the regions of ~0–30oN, 0–30oS, 30–60oS, and 60–70oS along the cruise path. Note that the inland Antarctic sites were excluded in the statistics of marine boundary layer (panels c–f). Error bars in panels (a) and (b) represent one standard deviation. The source data underlying (a–f) are provided in a Source Data file.
