The atmosphere is an important transport medium for polymeric anthropogenic particles such as microplastics (MPs). The analysis of particles deposited on the snowpack enables monitoring the abundance and transport of MPs and semi-synthetic fibers. In the current study, the abundance of MPs and man-made textile fibers in deposited snow in Western Siberia, Russia, was investigated in a large area ranging from the Altai Mountains (52°01"N) to the Arctic Circle (66°30"N). Rayon fibers accounted for 44 % of all detected particles, while the remaining 66 % were MPs made of PET, PA, PC, PP and other plastics. The highest number of MPs and fibers per unit area was 2,817 ± 915 items m^-2 with an estimated daily deposition rate of 25.8 items m^-2 d^-1. The maximum calculated mass particle load was 4,444 ± 1,530 mg m^-2 or 34.9 ± 12 mg L^-1 of melted snow. Particle concentrations in snow were generally higher in the southern parts of Western Siberia but did not significantly correlate with population density.The Lagrangian dispersion model FLEXPART was used to estimate the geographical patterns of potential sources of the fibers detected in the snow in Western Siberia. Our analysis shows that particles can reach the sampling sites via both short-range and long-range atmospheric transport, including the possibility of cross-border transport for the smaller particle sizes.

中文翻译：

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西西伯利亚的塑料微粒正在下雪


大气是微塑料 （MP） 等聚合物人为颗粒的重要运输介质。对沉积在积雪上的颗粒的分析可以监测 MP 和半合成纤维的丰度和运输。在目前的研究中，调查了俄罗斯西西伯利亚沉积雪中 MPS 和人造纺织纤维的丰度，范围从阿尔泰山脉 （52°01“N） 到北极圈 （66°30”N）。人造丝纤维占所有检测到的颗粒的 44%，而其余 66% 是由 PET、PA、PC、PP 和其他塑料制成的 MP。每单位面积的 MP 和纤维数量最高为 2,817 ± 915 个 ^m-2，估计日沉积速率为 25.8 个 ^{m-2 d-1}。计算的最大质量颗粒负荷为 4,444 ± 1,530 mg ^m-2 或 34.9 ± 12 mg ^L-1 融雪。西西伯利亚南部地区雪中的颗粒浓度通常较高，但与种群密度没有显著相关性。拉格朗日色散模型 FLEXPART 用于估计在西西伯利亚雪中检测到的纤维潜在来源的地理模式。我们的分析表明，颗粒可以通过短距离和远程大气传输到达采样点，包括较小颗粒尺寸的跨境运输的可能性。