Research progress of microplastics of different environmental media in the plateau area

Microplastics, as an emerging pollutant, can migrate, transform, and accumulate in different environmental media, exerting non-negligible harmful effects on ecosystems and human health. This paper analyzes and summarizes research on sampling methods, separation and treatment techniques, analytical detection methods, and the occurrence of microplastics in various high-altitude environmental media by domestic and foreign scholars. The review indicates that intensified human activities and cross-border pollutant transport have significantly increased microplastic pollution loads in plateau regions, particularly in critical environmental media such as glacial meltwater, alpine soils, and atmospheric deposition. Microplastics in these environments predominantly consist of fibrous polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), with most particles measuring remote regions, low-altitude plateaus> high-altitude plateaus. Notably, southeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau regions exhibit higher pollution intensity than their northwestern counterparts. In addition, there are still many shortcomings in the research on microplastics in plateau areas in terms of the breadth of spatial and temporal distribution, the depth of research content and the diversification of research methods. Therefore, it is called on more researchers to pay attention to and strengthen relevant scientific research work, so as to provide new insights for the prevention and control of microplastic pollution in plateau areas.