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Influence of Hurricane Helene on Microplastic Deposition in the Mountainous Southeastern United States
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When Hurricane Helene hit the mountains of North Carolina in 2024, it didn't just bring catastrophic flooding, it also dumped 3 to 22 times more tiny plastic particles (microplastics) onto the land than normal, with one site's storm deposits making up nearly 19% of its yearly total. As extreme storms become more common with climate change, this matters because it means more plastic particles are getting into soil, water, and ecosystems in bursts, raising questions about how much of this plastic could eventually make its way into our food and water supplies.
Due to climate change, we expect more intense hurricanes, leading to higher precipitation than previously observed. Historic storms, such as Hurricane Helene, that struck the southeastern United States (U.S.) in September 2024, deposited between 508 and 762 mm (20-30 in) of rainfall in rural, mountainous parts of Western North Carolina, resulting in catastrophic flooding. Less well known is the extent of microplastic (MP) deposition in these less developed areas. While there is insight into MP deposition due to typhoon events in Eastern Hemisphere, in our assessment, we conducted the first-ever study U.S. based assessment of MP deposition in a severely affected southeastern U.S. region at multiple locations (Iron Duff, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory (Coweeta), and Highlands Biological Station (HBS), months before (January to September), during (September), and weeks post-hurricane (October to November). Our findings show that Hurricane Helene contributed to elevated MP deposition at all sites (3 to 22x higher than pre-Hurricane Helene levels), where total storm MP deposition was 1,280, 2,179, and 10,243 MP/m² at Iron Duff, Coweeta, and HBS, respectively. This historic storm accounted for 4.2, 4.6, and 18.8% of the annual MP deposition at Iron Duff, Coweeta, and HBS, respectively. Using backward trajectory analysis, we found that air masses reaching our sampling locations differed during Hurricane Helene compared to pre- and post-Helene periods. Our regression model estimated that the total anomalous deposition over the area of the U.S. affected by Hurricane Helene (3,798,756.55 km²) was 3.85 × 10¹⁵ MPs. Polyamide, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, and polyethylene were the main polymers detected before and during Hurricane Helene. Our findings underscore how extreme storms can produce short-term spikes in MP deposition above ambient levels in a region. Thus, highlight the need to prioritize funding and policy initiatives to better assess risks posed by MPs to vulnerable ecosystems.
More Papers Like This
Influence of Hurricane Helene on Microplastic Deposition in the Mountainous Southeastern United States
AI summary Read the abstract
When Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina in 2024, it didn't just bring flooding, it also dumped 3 to 22 times more microplastic pollution onto the land than normal, likely swept in by storm winds from other areas. As climate change fuels more intense hurricanes, this suggests these storms could become a bigger source of microplastic contamination in soil, water, and potentially our food and air, making it an emerging health concern worth watching closely.
Coastal Microplastic Concentrations Increase After Hurricanes Helene and Milton (2024)
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Scientists found that hurricanes Helene and Milton stirred up and increased the amount of microplastics (tiny plastic bits smaller than a grain of rice) in Florida's coastal waters. This matters because these plastics can end up in seafood and drinking water sources, and as storms grow more frequent and intense, coastal communities may face rising exposure to this pollution after major weather events.
Temporal and Spatial Variations in Microplastic Concentrations in Small Headwater Basins in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina, USA
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Researchers examined spatial and temporal variations in microplastic concentrations and characteristics within two headwater basins in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina over approximately one year, also collecting atmospheric samples to assess the contribution of atmospheric deposition, finding MP concentrations in the upper quartile of globally reported values with maximums reaching 65.1 MPs/L and approximately 90% of MPs linked to atmospheric sources.
Chasing plastic storms: Assessing atmospheric microplastic deposition by a ‘pulse event’ of tropical storm Fiona in Eastern Canada
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Researchers geospatially analysed atmospheric microplastic deposition during tropical storm Fiona, one of the most destructive storms on record for Eastern Canada, using a unique time series to track how the extreme weather event mobilised and redistributed anthropogenic microdebris across terrestrial, aquatic, and marine environments. The study found that extreme meteorological events represent a significant and undercharacterised pathway for concentrated atmospheric microplastic deposition over large areas.
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Researchers sampled microplastics in intertidal sediments of a coastal embayment before and after an extreme weather event to capture temporal variability. Microplastic concentrations increased substantially following the event, suggesting storms mobilize plastic from terrestrial and coastal sources and can cause short-term spikes in marine microplastic loads.
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