# Pilot Study of Microplastics in Snow from the Zhetysu Region (Kazakhstan)
## 1 Introduction
This means that an increase in the concentration of microplastics in the air could theoretically affect the nature of clouds and precipitation, which could lead to additional anthropogenic pollution (including plastic) in these ecosystems [2]. The first assessment of microplastics in Arctic snow from Svalbard and Fram Strait using Py/GC-MS revealed the spatial variability in the concentrations and polymer composition of microplastics in snow [8]. The results of this work suggest that harmonized methods should be developed to facilitate regional comparisons. Snow sampling in remote areas and high altitude glacier sites was carried out by trained mountaineers. Micro and nanoplastics analyses were performed in laboratories by specialists using highly sensitive TD-PTR-MS (proton thermodesorption-transfer reaction-mass spectrometry) [9]. Detected particles < 1 \(\upmu\)m were analyzed for the presence of common polymers and revealed nanoplastic concentrations in a range of 2-80 ng/mL at 5 of 14 sites. The dominant polymer types detected in this study were tire wear particles, polystyrene, and polyethylene (41%, 28% and 12%, respectively) [9]. Lagrangian dispersion modeling [10; 11] was used to reconstruct possible sources of micro- and nanoplastic emissions for these observations, which appear to be mainly west of the Alps. Sources in France, Spain, and Switzerland are the largest contributors to the modelled emissions [9]. This work also confirmed that fine plastic particles can be transported over long distances and deposited in remote regions such as high altitude glaciers. This emphasizes the importance of microplastics monitoring in such inaccessible areas, where microparticles can remain for long time periods affecting the environment. For example, between 7 and 300 microplastic particles per liter of melted snow have been found in glaciers on the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau [12]. Microplastic contamination of snow was also investigated for the first time at the summit of Mount Amanos in the Hatay region, southern Turkey [13]. The amount of microplastics varied up to 16 MP particles per liter. In total, 519 particles were identified. Most of the identified MPs were black fibers (>99%) with 0.5-2.5 mm size (62%) and polyester (35%). Local wind and trajectory analyses indicated that MPs that appeared in the sampling area originated from the nearby Amik Plain and/or were transported from remote areas with northwesterly and southerly air currents. Another study [14] investigated the occurrence, composition, size (>30 \(\upmu\)m), and shape of MPs in snow samples from different conservation areas as well as from urban areas in Hokkaido. Various polymer-type MPs with concentrations ranging from 1.5 \(\times\) 10\({}^{2}\) to 4.2 \(\times\) 10\({}^{3}\) particles per liter were found among the samples. The results showed that the prevalence of microplastics generally decreased concomitantly with increasing monotens of the sampling sites. The observed MP features at different locations and their relationship with geographical conditions showed that the ubiquitously observed fine particles (mainly alkyl, ethylene vinyl acetate, and polyethylene) could be attributed to long-range atmospheric transport, whereas rubber and larger particles were especially detected near motorways and cities and originated from local sources of plastic. Taken together, these results suggest important implications for elucidating the nature and distribution of atmospheric MP. The presence of microplastics in the snow cover of Karelia and Kamchatka (both Russia) has been predominantly recorded in the form of polyester and polyethylene fibres [15]. The totality of these studies demonstrates how microplastics spread over long distances, including remote areas, and emphasizes the potential environmental risks associated with their accumulation and release as a result of climate change.