This dataset presents concentration of microplastics in snow from remote Antarctic camps: Union Glacier, Schanz Glacier and the South Pole. Refined automated FTIR techniques enabled interrogation of microplastics (including fibres) to a lower detection limit of 11 micrometers in Antarctic snow for the first time. Microplastics were pervasive (73 - 3099 MP L/1). The majority (95 percent) measured less than 50 micrometers, indicating that previous microplastic reports in Antarctica may be underestimated, due to analytical restrictions. Plastic polymer composition and concentration did not vary significantly between sites, with dominant polymers being polyamide (PA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE) and synthetic rubber. Results indicate that even in the earth's most remote regions, humans are leaving a plastic legacy in the snow, illustrating the importance of remote, cryospheric regions as critical study sites for determining temporal fluxes in microplastic pollution. Funding: All fieldwork was supported and financed by Airbnb.

The ESA PolarGap airborne gravity, lidar/radar and aeromagnetic survey was carried out in Antarctica in the field season 2015/16. The purpose of the 2015/16 ESA PolarGAP airborne survey of the South Pole region was to fill the gap in satellite gravity coverage, enabling construction of accurate global geoid models. Additional radar flights over the Recovery Lakes for the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) were carried out as part of the same survey. In conjunction with the primary datasets aeromagnetic data was collected opportunistically, to provide new insights into the subglacial geology. Data were collected using a caesium magnetometer system, and have been corrected to total field values following the approach laid out by the SCAR ADMAP working group (http://admap.kopri.re.kr/ADMAP-2_SCR_27Aug13.pdf). The aircraft used was the BAS aerogeophysicaly equipped twin otter VP-FBL. Data are available as an ASCII table (.csv).

A new version of this dataset exists. Please have a look at: Ferraccioli, F., Forsberg, R., Matsuoka, K., Olesen, A., Jordan, T., Corr, H., Robinson, C., Kohler, J., & Bodart, J. (2024). Processed airborne radio-echo sounding data from the POLARGAP survey covering the South Pole, and Foundation and Recovery Glaciers, East Antarctica (2015/2016) (Version 2.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/6be0a803-78d4-4ca9-be02-3838866763c3 The ESA PolarGap airborne gravity, lidar/radar and aeromagnetic survey was carried out in Antarctica in the field season 2015/16. The purpose of the 2015/16 ESA PolarGAP airborne survey of the South Pole region was to fill the gap in satellite gravity coverage, enabling construction of accurate global geoid models. Additional radar flights over the Recovery Lakes for the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) were carried out as part of the same survey, but included collection of airborne gravity. Gravity data were collected using two complimentary systems. The primary system was a ZLS-modified Lacoste and Romberg (LCR) gravimeter (S-83) which gives exceptionally low and predictable long term drift. The secondary system was high specification inertial navigation system (iMAR RQH-1003), provided by TU Darmstadt, capable of resolving gravity anomalies even under turbulent conditions, but more prone to instrument drift. Results from both systems were merged to give a unified best product. The aircraft used was the BAS aerogeophysicaly equipped twin otter VP-FBL. Data are available as an ASCII table (.csv).