Microplastics in Precipitation: Analyzing Altitudinal Influence on Atmospheric Deposition Patterns

Atmospheric transport and deposition of microplastics (MPs) represent an emerging pathway whereby plastic pollution reaches even the most remote ecosystems. To investigate how elevation influences this process, we collected rainfall and snowfall samples across eight sites in the Central Himalaya, India, at elevations from 445 m to 3,378 m. After multi-stage sieving (5 mm to 100 μm), oxidative digestion, and vacuum filtration onto 0.8 μm cellulose membranes, samples were analyzed for concentration, size distribution, and polymer composition. We observed an inverse relationship between altitude and MPs concentration, with urban low-elevation sites yielding up to 137 MPs L⁻¹ at 445 m, compared to only 5.5 MPs L⁻¹ at 3,378 m. Fibers dominated all samples (74.1%), reflecting textile sources, while films, fragments, cluster and foam composed the remainder. Particle size distributions shifted with height, larger MPs (1-5 mm) prevailed in low-lying areas, whereas fine particles (< 100 μm; 100 μm-1 mm) accounted for high-altitude and mid-altitude deposits, highlighting the role of small MPs in long-range atmospheric transport. Polymer composition also varied with elevation lightweight polymers like polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) became more common at higher sites, while heavier polymers such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) & polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) remained concentrated at lower elevations. These findings suggest that altitude is a key control on atmospheric MP deposition low-altitude regions near dense urban sources exhibit higher concentrations, while remote high-altitude zones receive fewer but finer particles may be transported from urban area.