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White and wonderful? Microplastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic

Bergmann, Melanie, Mützel, Sophia, Primpke, Sebastian, Tekman, Mine B., Trachsel, Jürg, Gerdts, Gunnar·2019·Science Advances
DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aax1157PMC PMC6693909
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Abstract

We detect microplastics in European and Arctic snow, highlighting the importance of atmospheric transport as a pathway.

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Fig. 1 Map of sampling locations for snow. (A) Sampling sites in the Arctic (ICE, ice floes; SV, Svalbard) and (B) in Europe (HL, Heligoland; BR, Bremen; BV, Bavaria; TSCH, Tschuggen; DV, Davos). (C) Overview of all locations. Size of circles reflects MP particle quantities at log scale.
Fig. 1 Map of sampling locations for snow. (A) Sampling sites in the Arctic (ICE, ice floes; SV, Svalbard) and (B) in Europe (HL, Heligoland; BR, Bremen; BV, Bavaria; TSCH, Tschuggen; DV, Davos). (C) Overview of all locations. Size of circles reflects MP particle quantities at log scale.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 2 Particles detected in snow samples collected at different locations from Europe to the Arctic. (A) MP particle quantities recorded by FTIR at different locations. (B) Concentrations of microfibers detected at different locations (note that no polymers were identified). (C) Box-and-whiskers plot of proportions of MP numbers in different size classes from all snow samples. The upper and lower boundaries of the box indicate the 75th and 25th percentiles, respectively. The line within the box marks the median, error bars (in µm) indicate the 90th and 10th percentiles, and black diamonds represent outliers. (D) Relative composition of polymers identified by FTIR at different locations.
Fig. 2 Particles detected in snow samples collected at different locations from Europe to the Arctic. (A) MP particle quantities recorded by FTIR at different locations. (B) Concentrations of microfibers detected at different locations (note that no polymers were identified). (C) Box-and-whiskers plot of proportions of MP numbers in different size classes from all snow samples. The upper and lower boundaries of the box indicate the 75th and 25th percentiles, respectively. The line within the box marks the median, error bars (in µm) indicate the 90th and 10th percentiles, and black diamonds represent outliers. (D) Relative composition of polymers identified by FTIR at different locations.CC BY-NC · PubMed Central
Fig. 3 Photographs of MPs detected in snow. (A) Polystyrene fiber from Svalbard 4 (length, 1101 μm); (B) polypropylene particle from Heligoland (diameter, 256 μm); (C) polyvinyl chloride fiber from Ice Floe 8 (length, 956 μm). Note that these particular two fibers could be analyzed by FTIR as they happened to lay plane on the filter. (D to F) Aluminum oxide filter with enriched snow sample. (G to I) Corresponding polymer-dependent false-color image after FTIR measurement and automated analysis. (D and G) Bavaria 2: The sample with most MPs; (E and H) Ice Floe 9: the sample with the third most MPs; (F and I) Bremen: The sample with intermediate MP numbers but many fibers (photo credit: S. Mützel, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung).
Fig. 3 Photographs of MPs detected in snow. (A) Polystyrene fiber from Svalbard 4 (length, 1101 μm); (B) polypropylene particle from Heligoland (diameter, 256 μm); (C) polyvinyl chloride fiber from Ice Floe 8 (length, 956 μm). Note that these particular two fibers could be analyzed by FTIR as they happened to lay plane on the filter. (D to F) Aluminum oxide filter with enriched snow sample. (G to I) Corresponding polymer-dependent false-color image after FTIR measurement and automated analysis. (D and G) Bavaria 2: The sample with most MPs; (E and H) Ice Floe 9: the sample with the third most MPs; (F and I) Bremen: The sample with intermediate MP numbers but many fibers (photo credit: S. Mützel, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung).CC BY-NC · PubMed Central

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Metadata

Authors
Bergmann, M., Mützel, S., Primpke, S., Tekman, M. B., Trachsel, J., & Gerdts, G.
Affiliations
  • Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven 27570, Germany.
  • WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Flüelastrasse 11, 7260 Davos Dorf, Switzerland.
ORCID
Venue
Science Advances
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published
2019-08-02
Volume
5
Issue
8
ISSN
2375-2548
DOI
10.1126/sciadv.aax1157
PMC
PMC6693909
Cited by
1,359
References
5
Language
en
Funders
Helmholtz Association (FRAM)

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: White and wonderful? Microplastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1126/sciadv.aax1157
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Bergmann, M., Mützel, S., Primpke, S., Tekman, M. B., Trachsel, J., & Gerdts, G. (2019). White and wonderful? Microplastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax1157