(AA)
From microscopic plastic pollution drifting in pristine waters to native seabirds altering their feeding grounds, foreign researchers on Türkiye’s sixth National Arctic Expedition have brought back a sobering look at a rapidly changing High North.
A total of 12 scientists participated in the expedition, during which 12 scientific projects and studies were carried out in the fields of oceanography, biology, chemistry, atmospheric dynamics, meteorology, geodesy and satellite systems.
Traveling as far north as 82 degrees latitude by ship, the scientific team continued its work this year on priority scientific themes of national and international significance, such as global climate change, threatened ecosystems and human-induced impacts, within the framework of the “National Polar Science Strategy.”
The foreign participants in the expedition from Argentina, Bulgaria and Uruguay carried out research on a variety of subfields.
Paula Arbiza, a biologist and master’s student from the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute, said they examined fjord ecosystems affected by glaciers in the Arctic.
Arbiza also noted that they collected sediment samples, used small organisms as biological indicators to assess ecosystem health and analyzed environmental variables.
Meanwhile, Boyan Michev of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences explained that they investigated the structure of bird communities in the Arctic.
Michev said approximately 30 to 40 seabird species can be observed feeding in the open sea.
Arturo Huber from the Argentine Antarctic Institute also reported that they investigated microplastic pollution in the atmosphere of the polar regions.
Huber stated that their goal was to determine the concentration of microplastics in the polar regions through laboratory analysis.
