# Pilot Study of Microplastics in Snow from the Zhetysu Region (Kazakhstan)
## 1 Introduction  
Microplastics are synthetic particles less than 5 mm in size [1]. Their presence has been detected in the last decades in almost all natural environments, including the atmosphere and snow cover. Studies in recent years prove that snow plays an important role in the transport, deposition, and distribution of microplastics, especially in high-altitude andpolar ecosystems. The detection of microplastics in snow cover in the most remote areas of the world emphasizes the scale of atmospheric transport and the relevance of this problem. Recent researches confirm the global distribution of microplastics (MPs) in snow cover in different regions of the world, emphasizing the important role of atmospheric transport as the main mechanism of their delivery. The presence of microplastics was detected in snow sampled from the Alps to the Arctic [1]. MP concentrations ranged from low in the Arctic (0-14.4 \(\times\) 10\({}^{3}\) particles per liter) to high in European regions (up to 154 \(\times\) 10\({}^{3}\) particles per liter), with varnish, rubber, polyethylene, and polyamide being the predominant polymers. Microplastics in snow from Antarctica (Ross Island) were found with an average concentration of 29 particles per liter. The predominant ones are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, the sources of which are associated with both long-range atmospheric transport (up to 6000 km) and with local anthropogenic translocations [2]. High concentrations of microplastics (73-3099 particles per liter) with predominance of particles smaller than 50 \(\upmu\)m have also been recorded in snow on the Union and Schanz Antarctic glaciers, which indicates the need to take into account smaller fractions when monitoring pollution [3]. Snow analyses from the west coast of North America have confirmed significant microplastic content (from 5.1 to 325 \(\upmu\)/L meltwater) in fresh and old snow samples [4]. [PERSON] et al. [5] found a significant presence of microplastics and microfibers in 70 surface snow samples collected both in the Greater Toronto Area and in distant and sparsely populated areas of the Yukon and Northwest Territories, as well as in the unpopulated high latitudes of the Arctic in Canada. Particle concentrations and fractions of anthropogenic origin were conservatively estimated after corrections for 'background' and 'anthropogenic origin', based on visual analysis and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (\(\upmu\)FTIR) [5]. Microfibers were predominant (95-100%) with varying concentrations in different regions among the MP compositions [5]. Microfibers were classified into synthetic, regenerated semi-synthetic, anthropogenically modified cellulose, and natural cellulose or protein fibers. Microfibers with a confirmed anthropogenic origin were dominated by polyester/PETF (8-22%) and semi-synthetic viscose (1-18%), while anthropogenic cellulose accounted for a small proportion (3-7%) in all regions [5]. The effects of global warming on the accumulation of microplastics in the cryosphere and their possible release as a result of ice melting were considered, highlighting the risks to ecosystems that may arise from climate change, since the melting of glaciers and permafrost may lead to an additional release of microplastics accumulated over long time periods [6]. A study of microplastics deposited on snow in the upper reaches of the Colorado River basin found that these particles can affect albedo [7], promoting more intense absorption of solar energy and thereby accelerating melting [8]. Research [2] indicates that the presence of microplastics on glaciers and snow in remote northern and mountainous regions can enhance ablation (melting), as does black carbon, since microplastics in the atmosphere can participate in cloud formation processes, i.e., plastic microparticles can act as condensation and ice formation centers.