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Aerosol mass concentrations and dry/wet deposition of atmospheric microplastics at a remote coastal location in New Zealand
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Researchers quantified airborne microplastic concentrations at a remote coastal site in southern New Zealand using both active and passive sampling methods. They found plastics comprised at least 0.14% of total suspended particulate mass, with air trajectory analysis suggesting the Southern Ocean as a source. The study indicates that counting microplastics by number alone may significantly underestimate true atmospheric plastic pollution, since the smallest and most abundant particles escape microscopic detection.
This study quantified airborne microplastic concentrations by mass and number counts using both active and passive sampling at a remote coastal location in Southern New Zealand. Seven polymers were quantified using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC/MS) in atmospheric samples, finding that plastics comprised at least 0.14 % of total suspended particulate mass at the remote coastal site. Air parcel back trajectories suggest that airborne microplastics at the site, observed at an average concentration of 65 ± 6 ng m-3, have origins from the Southern Ocean. Additionally, the results demonstrate that reporting atmospheric deposition of microplastics by number counts may underestimate the true amount of plastics present in samples, as size limitations associated with microscopic imaging do not allow for quantification of the most abundant sizes and types of environmental microplastics. With current uncertainties related to aerosol formation in the Southern Ocean and the associated impacts on climate forcing, further research is urgently needed on the production of airborne microplastics originating from the Southern Ocean, a possible microplastic reservoir.
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Airborne microplastic concentrations in remote coastal environments
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Researchers measured airborne microplastic concentrations at coastal sites in New Zealand near the Southern Ocean to assess whether sea-spray generates significant atmospheric plastic loads. Microplastics were detected at all coastal sampling locations despite the region's remoteness from plastic production, suggesting marine-to-atmosphere transfer is an important pathway even in pristine coastal environments.
Modelled sources of airborne microplastics collected at a remote Southern Hemisphere site
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Researchers measured airborne microplastic deposits at a remote New Zealand mountain site and used a global atmospheric model to trace where the particles came from, finding that sea spray during long-range wind transport was the dominant source. The study also revealed that shorter sampling periods capture 6 times more microplastics than weekly sampling, suggesting previous studies may have significantly underestimated atmospheric microplastic deposition.
Airborne and marine microplastics in the Southern Ocean environment
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Researchers collected atmospheric deposition and seawater samples during a voyage from New Zealand to the Ross Sea, Antarctica, and detected microplastics throughout the Southern Ocean, contributing rare data from one of the world's most remote regions to understanding atmospheric and marine plastic transport.
Airborne microplastics in Antarctica and New Zealand.
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Researchers detected airborne microplastics at two remote sites in Antarctica and New Zealand, including in previously pristine regions far from human habitation. The presence of microplastics in Antarctic air demonstrates that atmospheric transport can carry plastic particles to even the most remote corners of the planet.
Evidence and Mass Quantification of Atmospheric Microplastics in a Coastal New Zealand City
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Researchers quantified atmospheric microplastic deposition in Auckland, New Zealand, combining fluorescence microscopy with pyrolysis-GC/MS to determine both particle counts and mass concentrations of specific polymers in airborne samples.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.