[ti:Scientists Find High Levels of Plastics in Arctic Snow] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Scientists say they have found high levels of small plastic particles in Arctic snow. [00:09.48]Their findings provide more evidence that plastic is entering Earth's atmosphere and traveling great distances around the planet. [00:22.28]A new report describing the discovery was published in Science Advances. [00:30.56]A German-Swiss research team collected snow samples from the Arctic and other areas. [00:39.60]They included northern Germany, the Bavarian and Swiss Alps, and the North Sea island of Heligoland. [00:51.00]When the researchers examined the samples in a laboratory, they were surprised to find very high levels of microplastics. [01:03.04]Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic. [01:08.48]These plastic particles are generally smaller than 5 millimeters in length. [01:16.60]Other studies have found microplastics in the environment. [01:22.24]They come from the disposal and breakdown of man-made plastic products and industrial waste. [01:32.08]Melanie Bergmann co-wrote the report on the new study. [01:38.20]She told The Associated Press that while her team did expect to find some microplastics in the samples, [01:46.66]they were surprised by the very large amounts. [01:51.96]Bergmann is a researcher at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute in the German city of Bremerhaven. [02:01.68]The study found the highest levels of microplastics came from the Bavarian Alps. [02:10.12]One snow sample from the area had 154,000 microplastic particles per liter. [02:20.20]Samples collected from the Arctic had much lower levels. [02:25.72]However, even samples from the Arctic contained up to 14,000 particles per liter, the study found. [02:36.76]Earlier studies found signs of plastic in Arctic areas. [02:42.92]Those microplastics were found in coastal areas, sea ice, the seafloor and the seawater's surface. [02:53.96]The new study attempted to explore how some of the material could have been carried in the atmosphere. [03:02.84]A limited number of earlier studies did find microplastics in the air of some cities, including Paris, Tehran and Dongguan, China. [03:16.32]Bergmann said in a statement she believes the new study clearly shows that "the majority of the microplastic in the snow comes from the air." [03:29.24]She said this idea is supported by research that studied the atmospheric movement of pollen from plants. [03:39.04]In those studies, scientists confirmed pollen had traveled great distances to reach the Arctic. [03:47.12]Other studies found that dust particles – which are similar to microplastics [03:55.05]- traveled more than 3,500 kilometers from the Sahara Desert to the northeast Atlantic. [04:03.88]Bergmann said the new study suggests that much of the microplastic found in Europe and the Arctic comes from the atmosphere and snow. [04:18.04]"This additional transport route could also explain the high amounts of microplastic [04:24.77]that we've found in the Arctic sea ice and the deep sea in previous studies," she said. [04:34.24]The research team discovered many kinds of microplastics. [04:39.80]Some were from paints commonly used to coat the surface of automobiles and ships. [04:47.28]A rubber-like substance was also found that could have come from vehicle or boat parts or packaging materials, the report said. [04:59.68]While there is growing concern about the effect of microplastics on the environment, [05:05.54]scientists are still studying their possible harmful effects on humans and animals. [05:14.80]Bergmann said she hopes the new study will lead to more research on this issue. [05:22.36]She also said she believes that microscopic plastic particles should be included in worldwide observations of air pollution levels. [05:34.96]"We really need to know what effects microplastics have on humans, especially if inhaled with the air that we breathe," Bergmann said. [05:47.60]I'm Bryan Lynn.更多听力请访问51VOA.COM