After discovering microplastics high in the Alps, and even in human blood, researchers have now found the pollutant in fresh Antarctic snow.
The research team collected 19 samples of fresh snow at various locations in the Ross Island region of Antarctica.
Six samples came from locations near research stations, and 13 samples were collected in remote locations where human disturbances are rare.
Researchers know that microplastics are just about everywhere on Earth, including inside living things.
What's less clear is how microplastics affect the environments and organisms they pollute.
The tiny pieces can affect ecosystems by giving nonnative species easy opportunities to disperse in air currents or through the water.
The tiny particles can collect more thermal energy from sunlight than regular snow, which reflects most solar energy back into space.
As they float through the air, microplastic particles can change atmospheric conditions by offering more locations for tiny crystals of ice to form.