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Microplastic Particles in Dust-on-Snow, Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado Rocky Mountains, 2013–16

Open-File Report 2022-1061
By: , , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20221061

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Abstract

Atmospheric dust deposited to snow cover (dust-on-snow) diminishes snow-surface albedo (SSA) to result in early onset and accelerated rate of melting, effects that challenge management of downstream water resources. During ongoing investigations to identify the light-energy absorbing dust particles most responsible for diminished SSA in the Upper Colorado River Basin of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, we found microplastic particles, which are defined as those less than 5 millimeters in any dimension. In each of the 38 samples that represented the last remaining dust layer during melt seasons of 2013–16, microplastics were identified by size, shape, and color, and their relative amounts were visually estimated using stereomicroscopy. Considering the remote, high-elevation settings of the sample sites, the microplastic particles must have been deposited from the atmosphere. The possible role of microplastics for diminishing SSA of snow cover in the Upper Colorado River Basin may be linked to the solar-energy absorptive properties of polymers and is the subject of ongoing investigation.

Suggested Citation

Reynolds, R.L., Goldstein, H.L., Kokaly, R.F., and Derry, J., 2022, Microplastic particles in dust-on-snow, Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado Rocky Mountains, 2013–16: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2022–1061, 7 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20221061.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Acknowledgments
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Identification of Microplastics
  • Is Microplastic Deposition Increasing in Upper Colorado River Basin DOS?
  • Regional and Global Context of Microplastics in Upper Colorado River Basin Snow
  • Summary
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Microplastic particles in dust-on-snow, Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado Rocky Mountains, 2013–16
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2022-1061
DOI 10.3133/ofr20221061
Year Published 2022
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Description vi, 7 p.
Country United States
State Colorado
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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