A recent CNN feature spotlighted Mission Spiritus, the bold scientific exploration led by polar adventurer and former Royal Marine Alan Chambers MBE, which aims to uncover how far plastic pollution has spread – even into Earth’s most remote environments.
In partnership with climate scientists at Columbia University, the Mission Spiritus team is gathering snow, sand, water, and sediment samples from seven pristine regions across the globe to study the presence of micro and nano plastics. These tiny pollutants, often invisible to the naked eye, are known to affect hundreds of species – including humans – by disrupting cellular processes and potentially contributing to disease.
The mission began with a gruelling 1150km, trek across Antarctica in late 2023, where Alan and Dave Thomas collected snow samples under extreme conditions. Results are already raising alarm: initial analysis detected plastic traces deep within Antarctica’s interior – likely transported by global wind systems.
Subsequent legs of the mission include Oman’s Empty Quarter desert, with the next expedition to the Faroe Islands later in July. Future plans are to collect samples from the Atacama Desert, Comoros Islands, Canada’s Northwest Passage and Australia’s Gibson Desert. These efforts aim to build a global picture of how pervasive and mobile plastic pollution has become.
‘Mission Spiritus is about adventure with purpose,’ Alan told CNN. ‘We’re just the Earth’s gardeners – providing the samples, so the scientists can do the brainy bit.’
By combining daring exploration with cutting-edge environmental science, Mission Spiritus is raising global awareness and generating critical data to support meaningful policy change.
Read the full article by Lianne Kolirin – here: How bad is Earth’s microplastics problem? An explorer is on a mission to 7 remote places to find out | CNN
