The expedition of Tomsk State University went to the annual snow sampling to quantify and analyze microplastics. The route of the expedition passes through the Tomsk, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo regions, Yamalo-Nenets and Altay Krai. This time the TSU expedition reached the extreme northern point of the route – the settlement of Tazovsky, which is located beyond the Arctic Circle. Last year, due to abnormal frosts, the expedition was unable to reach this point. Scientists of the Biological Institute take snow samples at each of the 22 points they have already samples last year.

   After quantitative and qualitative analyses of microplastic particles extracted from collected snow samples, it is planned to develop a model for the distribution of the pollutant in the snow cover of Western Siberia, together with specialists from the Faculty of Geology and Geography of TSU. With data for 2021 and 2022, and continuing annual monitoring in the future, the research team will be able to track potential sources of microplastics in Siberian snow, their transport routs and accumulation dynamics.