Scientists are becoming alarmed by the growing amount of tiny particles of plastic, called microplastics, in the world’s oceans. Now a researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno has discovered evidence that the plastic pollution problem may be more widespread than previously believed.
For the past two years, Dr. Monica Arienzo, an associate professor for the Desert Research Institute in Reno has tested High Sierra snow at several locations and has found something that shouldn’t be there: tiny plastic fibers in the new-fallen snow.
“What we’ve found so far is that some of our sites do have microplastics in them. We’ve identified nylon and rayon, so far,” Dr. Arienzo said. “We still have a lot of work to do to compare between these sites and then compare from year to year.”
It’s not the only place where plastic seems out of place. Environmental researchers have also collected microplastic fibers like those in synthetic fabrics in the pristine waters and snow near the poles.