In early 2018, Greenpeace undertook an expedition to the Antarctic to carry out scientific research, including seabed submarine dives exploring little known benthic ecosystems and sampling for microplastics and persistent chemicals, in order to learn more about biodiversity and pollution in this remote area.

This briefing presents the findings of the sea surface water samples and manta trawl net samples taken to investigate the presence of microplastics in Antarctic waters, and the snow samples taken to analyse for the persistent and hazardous chemicals, per- and polyfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS).

The samples show that even the most remote and pristine habitats of the Antarctic are contaminated with microplastic waste and persistent hazardous chemicals.

Read the full report called, “Microplastics and persistent fluorinated chemicals in the Antarctic”.