By: Ethan Shen
When you picture scientists in Antarctica, you would probably think that they are studying wildlife. However, Crispin Halsall is busy studying the reactions that occur in glaciers. Every chunk of Antarctic snow, he says, will tell you how humans have treated the planet. Volatile chemicals floating in the air can be brought to the surface from as far away as the Northern Hemisphere. The pollutants then get trapped in the ice, waiting to get released as the ice melts. As global warming continues, pollutants that have been “locked up” in the ice will reenter the ocean. The pollutants will drift around on the currents, going everywhere. They will be eaten by the wildlife, and cause internal damage. As such, it is very important to understand what is going back into the ocean.
Researchers discovered that the ice at the poles is actually full of chemical reactions. This is because as the ice freezes, it pushes pollutants away from its structure. Eventually, there will be tiny pockets with crazy concentrations of pollutants. When researchers recreated these situations and shone UV light onto the ice (to imitate the sun), the pollutants broke down faster in the ice than in normal water. Even though you might think pollutants breaking down faster is a good thing, there are many cases where it isn’t. As the ice breaks down microplastics, the smaller fragments can better penetrate animals, going into essential areas (such as brains) and causing damage. Other chemicals, such as aldrin (which is used in pesticides) readily becomes dieldrin, which is even more toxic. All in all, we need to figure out what is really going on here.