Distribution and transport of MPs carrying DOM in ice provide important theoretical support for lake pollution management in the northern cold dry zone. Display omitted •Ice traps and accumulates MPs, contributing to pollution in ice-covered lakes.•Dominance of humus-like DOM aligns with MPs distribution in ice and water layers.•Anthropogenic factors must be considered when managing MPs pollution in ice-covered lakes.•Ice’s adsorption mechanism is vital for future research, which is linked to MPs/DOM distribution. Due to the characteristics of low density, light weight, and strong hydrophobicity, microplastics (MPs) can adsorb dissolved organic matter (DOM) in lake water to jointly accomplish migration and transformation in the ice/water medium, which causes serious pollution to the lake during the ice period through accumulation. In this study, the distribution of Daihai Lake MPs and DOM was studied by fluorescence excited emission matrix (EEM) and micro-infrared spectroscopy, and the relationship between them was examined by two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS) and structural equation modelling (SEM) to obtain the influencing factors of pollution. The results indicate that the concentration of MPs in the surface ice layer is 1.35 times more than in the water and in the surface and bottom ice layers 1–2 times more than the middle layer. DOM in the ice cover is mainly protein-like (73.33%), and humus-like DOM (44.8%) is dominant in the water under the ice that is consistent with the distribution of MPs in the ice and water layer. As a result, MPs are more prospective to adsorb humus-like substances into the ice during migration. Through SEM analysis, it was concluded that human activities and the degree of economic development seriously affect the pollution level and the type of MPs and DOM in lakes. One of the most important factors in winter is the ice cover, and there is a strong correlation between the MPs and DOM in different ice layers. Combined with experimental data, it was concluded that the ice layer influences the distribution characteristics of the pollutants in lakes as well as the direction of migration. However, the adsorption mechanism of the ice is not clear, which will be a key direction for future research on microplastics in ice-covered lakes.