Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1038/s41598-026-63263-y
Lizenz creative commons licence
Titel (primär) Nanoplastic detection and quantification in high-altitude glacial snow samples from Italy, Switzerland and France
Autor Latz, M.; Gill, A.J.; Evangeliou, N.; Eckhardt, S.; Milner, R.; Reemtsma, T.; Materić, D.
Quelle Scientific Reports
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
Department EAC
Band/Volume 16
Seite von art. 24714
Sprache englisch
Topic T9 Healthy Planet
Daten-/Softwarelinks https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17942873
Supplements Supplement 1
Abstract Plastic pollution is an ever-growing concern around the globe, with current research portraying the presence of contaminants even in previously pristine regions. Especially small particles, micro- and nanoplastics, can be dispersed over long stretches by atmospheric transport, reaching even the most remote areas of the planet. This study aims to portray current levels of nanoplastic contamination (< 1 μm) by analyzing snow samples from high-altitude glaciers in the European Alps (2300–3800 m) via TD-PTR-MS. We were able to detect six common plastic pollutants, with PE and PP contributing over 60% of the total mass concentration measured across all sites. On average, nanoplastic concentrations of 85 ng mL− 1 (range: 3.6 ± 12 ng mL− 1 – 470 ± 76 ng mL− 1) were detected at sampled glacier surfaces. Access to these remote regions was enabled through a citizen-science initiative, involving trained mountaineers for sample collection. The results were applied to atmospheric modelling, highlighting possible point sources of contamination. While agriculture and local plastic factories were revealed as potential sources of nanoplastics, spatial and temporal limitations complicated comparison inside the sample cluster.
Latz, M., Gill, A.J., Evangeliou, N., Eckhardt, S., Milner, R., Reemtsma, T., Materić, D. (2026):
Nanoplastic detection and quantification in high-altitude glacial snow samples from Italy, Switzerland and France
Sci. Rep. 16 , art. 24714
10.1038/s41598-026-63263-y