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Do Microplastics Contribute to the Total Number Concentration of Ice Nucleating Particles?
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This study measured microplastic concentrations in air near roads and estimated whether road traffic-derived microplastics — from tire wear, brake dust, and road markings — contribute meaningfully to the total number of ice-nucleating particles in the atmosphere. The results showed that traffic-related microplastics do add to ice-nucleating particle counts, though their overall contribution relative to other aerosol sources requires further investigation. The findings are relevant because ice-nucleating particles influence cloud formation and precipitation, meaning airborne microplastics could have subtle effects on regional weather patterns.
Microplastics (MPs) can be transported into clouds, where they can affect formation and properties of clouds by acting as ice-nucleating particles (INPs), indirectly influencing the global climate.However, MPs have not been considered contributors to total INP concentrations.In this study, we quantify road traffic-related (i.e. from tire wear, brake wear, road markings and polymer-modified bitumen) MP number concentrations and estimate their contribution to total INP concentrations using the atmospheric transport model FLEXPART.To do this, we provide two possible global road traffic-related MP emissions scenarios.We find that MPs can disperse throughout the entire troposphere and reach regions with low natural ice nucleating particle concentrations.Under a high emissions scenario, ice-active MPs can contribute from about 0.1% to more than 40% of the total INP number under immersion freezing conditions in some areas of the tropics, while under cirrus conditions, their contribution can be up to about 7% over the tropical Pacific and up to about 20% over East Antarctica.Our results suggest that in regions where other effective INPs are rare, ice-active MP concentrations may be sufficient to trigger heterogeneous ice nucleation of ice crystals in mixed-phase or cirrus clouds, especially when concentrations of other effective INPs (mineral dust, marine particles, or bioaerosols) are low or absent.These results underscore the potential role of MPs in cloud formation and highlight the need to reduce uncertainties in MP emissions and their fate in the atmosphere as plastic production and use continue to grow.
More Papers Like This
Do Microplastics Contribute to the Total Number Concentration of Ice Nucleating Particles?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers modeled road-traffic-related microplastic emissions and estimated their potential contribution to ice-forming particles in clouds. In tropical regions and remote areas like East Antarctica, where other ice-nucleating particles are scarce, microplastics could account for up to 40% of the total ice-nucleating particle concentration. The study suggests that airborne microplastics may be influencing cloud formation and precipitation patterns in ways not previously considered.
Tire-Wear Particles as Potential Ice-Nucleating Agents in the Atmosphere
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Tire-wear particles — one of the largest global sources of microplastic pollution — can become airborne and may influence cloud formation by acting as ice-nucleating agents in the atmosphere. This study found that these particles have the potential to affect cloud glaciation, meaning microplastic pollution could have indirect climate effects beyond what occurs on land and in water.
Tire-wear particles as potential ice nucleating agents in the atmosphere
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Researchers systematically investigated the ice-nucleating properties of tire-wear particles -- one of the largest global sources of microplastic pollution at approximately 6 million tons annually -- finding that these airborne particles can act as heterogeneous ice nucleating agents capable of influencing cloud glaciation and atmospheric processes during long-range transport.
The Importance of Tire Wear Particles for Atmospheric Ice Nucleation
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Every time you drive, your tires shed tiny plastic particles into the air—and this study found these particles are surprisingly good at helping clouds form ice, far more so than other types of microplastic pollution. This matters because as car ownership grows worldwide, these tire particles could increasingly influence weather and climate patterns, on top of already being a pollutant we breathe in.
Microplastics, road dust, and biological particles drive hazardous urban ice fog formation
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Researchers analyzed ice crystals collected during urban ice fog events in Fairbanks, Alaska, and found that road dust (66–69%) and microplastics — primarily tire wear particles (13–16%) — were the dominant ice-nucleating particles, demonstrating for the first time that anthropogenic microplastics act as ice nuclei in real-world atmospheric conditions.
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