CAREER: Microplastics in snow-dominated environments - sources, transport, and fate

在全球塑料生产数十年后，塑料碎片的积累越来越受到环境的关注。微塑料（小于5毫米的塑料颗粒）受到越来越多的科学关注，因为它们在地球仪周围被发现，包括最近的研究表明，偏远地区的微塑料污染。然而，关于沉积在环境中的微塑料的来源、运输和归宿的问题仍然存在。这项研究的目的是测量加州州和内华达州的Sierra内华达州的雪和雪供水资源中沉积的微塑料的数量和类型。测量将用于评估微塑料到偏远环境的来源以及微塑料在重要水资源中的下游命运。研究成果将被整合到中学移动的教学工具包中。该移动的教学工具包将包括一系列围绕水文学、微塑料、人为污染和水质主题的课程，目的是提高中学阶段对科学的兴趣。微塑料已在整个环境中观察到，然而，关于微塑料的来源、运输和归宿，特别是在偏远环境中，仍然存在问题。通过实地和实验室研究相结合，拟议的研究旨在评估：（1）上游盆地雪中微塑料的空间变异性;（2）堆积和融化过程中积雪中微塑料的沉积和随后的垂直分布;以及（3）微塑料向下游移动时的命运。以加州州和内华达州的Sierra内华达州的雪和水资源为重点，拟议的工作将开发微塑料分离和检测的方法，对雪，融雪，空气和水进行空间和时间采样，并应用红外显微镜和热解GC/MS来表征微塑料的类型和数量。这项研究将提高我们对偏远地区来源、雪主导系统中的微塑料运输以及下游污染的理解。它将进一步生成可用于更好地了解人类对内华达州以外的淡水资源的影响的数据，包括地球仪周围其他以雪为主的环境。该项目将支持两名博士生和几名本科生的培训，并将开发一个移动的教学工具包，为教育工作者提供适当的工具，让中学生接触微塑料、环境科学和水文学。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The accumulation of plastic debris is an increasing concern for the environment following decades of global plastic production. Microplastics (plastic particles less than 5 millimeters) have received increased scientific attention as they have been found around the globe, including recent studies which have shown microplastic contamination in remote locations. However, questions remain about the sources, transport, and fate of microplastics deposited in the environment. The goal of this study is to measure the amount and type of microplastics deposited in snow and snow-fed water resources in the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada. Measurements will be used to assess the sources of microplastics to the remote environment and the downstream fate of microplastics in important water resources. The research findings will be integrated into a middle school mobile teaching kit. The mobile teaching kit will include a series of lessons surrounding the topics of hydrology, microplastics, anthropogenic pollution, and water quality, with the objective of enhancing an interest in science at the middle school level.Microplastics have been observed throughout the environment, however, questions remain about the sources, transport, and fate of microplastics, particularly in remote environments. Through a combination of field and laboratory-based studies, the proposed research aims at assessing: (1) spatial variability of microplastics in snow from headwater basins; (2) deposition and subsequent vertical distribution of microplastics in the snowpack during accumulation and melt; and (3) fate of microplastics as they move downstream toward snow-fed water resources. With a focus on snow and water resources in the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada, the proposed work will develop methods for microplastic isolation and detection, conduct spatial and temporal sampling of snow, snowmelt, air and water, and apply infrared microscopy and Pyrolysis-GC/MS for characterization of type and amount of microplastics. The study will improve our understanding of sources to remote locations, microplastic transport in snow-dominated systems, and downstream contamination. It will further generate data that can be used to better understand human impacts to freshwater resources beyond the Sierra Nevada, including other snow-dominated environments around the globe. The project will support training of two PhD and several undergraduate students and will develop a mobile teaching kit to provide educators with appropriate tools for exposing middle school students to microplastics, environmental science, and hydrology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.