How do microplastics get into snow?
Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres. Because many are light enough to become airborne, they can be carried through the atmosphere by wind and air currents. When snow forms and falls, these particles can become trapped in the falling snow and eventually settle on the ground.
This means snowfall can act as a pathway for microplastics to move from the atmosphere into the environment. Research has found evidence of atmospheric transport over both short and long distances, meaning particles do not necessarily stay close to where they were released.
Microplastics have been found in snow around the world
Scientists have detected microplastics in snow in a growing number of remote environments. A 2025 study of snow across Western Siberia found microplastics and synthetic fibres at concentrations of up to 2817 particles per square metre. The researchers found evidence that smaller particles could have travelled long distances through the atmosphere.
Microplastics have also been detected in Arctic snow. In Svalbard, researchers found small microplastics, including particles smaller than 100 micrometres, in seasonal snow on glaciers and tundra. The study found evidence that long-range atmospheric transport contributes to their deposition in these remote areas.
A 2024 study examining snow from the Greater Toronto Area, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and the high Arctic similarly found anthropogenic particles, including microplastics and microfibres, in remote and uninhabited areas. Atmospheric modelling suggested that some particles had travelled more than 200 kilometres from population centres.
Why does microplastic snowfall matter?
Snow can temporarily collect microplastics before they enter soil, rivers, lakes and other ecosystems as the snow melts. In mountainous and polar regions, snow and glaciers can therefore act as temporary storage for airborne plastic particles.
A 2024 study of Mount Taibai in China found microplastics in the atmosphere even in this remote mountainous environment. The researchers identified multiple polymer types and used atmospheric modelling to trace potential sources and transport routes.
Scientists are still working to understand exactly how much microplastic is transported through the atmosphere and how these particles behave once they reach the ground. However, the growing evidence makes one thing clear: microplastic pollution is not confined to oceans, cities or places where plastic is used. It can travel through the air and come back down with the snow, anywhere on earth.
Sources
- Frank, Y.A. et al. (2025). It is snowing microplastics in Western Siberia.
- Wei, Y. et al. (2024). Remote Mountainous Area Inevitably Becomes Temporal Sink for Microplastics Driven by Atmospheric Transport.
- Yu, J.T. et al. (2024). Snow as an indicator of atmospheric transport of anthropogenic particles (microplastics and microfibers) from urban to Arctic regions.
- Rosso, B. et al. (2024). Characteristics and quantification of small microplastics (<100 µm) in seasonal Svalbard snow on glaciers and lands.
