Patience, patience! – 5th blog entry
We will devote the last day of the expedition to finding the sediment trap in the central part of the lagoon, that is the only task of the day. Yesterday we saw it on the echolot and we know for sure that it is really there. We immediately use the method discovered yesterday, but here the water depth is greater and catching the device takes more time – casting circles around it takes almost four hours. But what a joy when it works! With puffed cheeks and gritted teeth, Marta and Barbara take out the sediment trap, and everyone’s eyes widen in surprise when they see how much sediments have accumulated over the year – more than 300 ml – in comparison, other traps had accumulated less than 100 ml of sediments.
When glacier melts, meltwater transports everything in its path – both what has accumulated in the glaciers for millennia and the soil through which it flows. Given the age (or rather, newness) of the Eidembukta lagoon and its isolation, it should be free from plastic pollution. However, despite our hopes, the consequences of human insatiability are visible here too. Microplastics are transported to the polar regions with air masses and ocean currents – the beach is covered with plastic litter, from large buoys and shampoo bottles to barely noticeable bits of microplastics. It is painful to realize that we are polluting not only the environment in our vicinity, but also ecosystems younger than some people and which we ourselves have never visited and most likely will never visit.
Some of the plastic particles found on the beach – in a place untouched by humans, yet polluted with plastic
“MP-ARCTIC” project provides a unique insight into the interaction between nature and people. As pioneers we observe the emergence, development and degradation of a new ecosystem in real time, try to understand the processes that contribute to it and connect what we have discovered with what is happening in other regions. This was the second and last expedition to Eidembukta lagoon within the framework of the project, however, there are now more questions than at the project launch, and the answers can only be found through continuation of research. During the expedition we experienced several times that determination, patience and cooperation lead to a positive result – we hope that future work will be crowned with success in both research and in mitigating climate change and preserving the fragile polar ecosystems.
We would like to thank those involved in the project – representatives of Klaipėda University Dzmitry Lukashanets, Sergej Olenin, Andrius Šiaulys, Aleksej Šaškov, representatives of the Institute of Ocean Technology and Marine Affairs of National Cheng Kung University TK, Ping and Andy, storyteller and photographer Christian Clauwers, the crew of the ship “Ocean-B” Alicja, Halina and Lena and, of course, our own ladies Marta Barone, Barbara Massalska-Duszczyk and Inta Dimante-Deimantoviča. We also thank the readers of the blog entries for following along!
Photo: Christian Clauwers
Project “MP-ARCTIC” is implemented with the support of Latvian Council of Science.
