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A Perspective on the Controversy over Global Emission Fluxes of Microplastics from Ocean into the Atmosphere
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Researchers addressed a major scientific debate about how many microplastics are transferred from the ocean surface into the atmosphere, where previous estimates varied by a factor of 10,000. By applying established theory on how particles cross the sea-air interface, they calculated that the upper limit for sub-100 micrometer microplastics entering the atmosphere from the ocean is 0.01 megatons per year. The study helps narrow a significant knowledge gap in understanding how microplastics cycle through the global environment.
Since the transfer of microplastic across the sea-air interface was first reported in 2020, numerous studies have been conducted on its emission flux estimation. However, these studies have shown significant discrepancies in the estimated contribution of oceanic sources to global atmospheric microplastics, with evaluations ranging from predominant to negligible, varying by 4 orders of magnitude from 7.7 × 10-4 to 8.6 megatons per year, thereby creating considerable confusion in the research on the microplastic cycle. Here, we provide a perspective by applying the well-established theory of particulate transfer through the sea-air interface. The upper limit of global sea-air emission flux microplastics was calculated, aiming to constrain the controversy in the previously reported fluxes. Specifically, the flux of sub-100 μm microplastic cannot exceed 0.01 megatons per year, and for sub-0.1 μm nanoplastics, it would not exceed 3 × 10-7 megatons per year. Bridging this knowledge gap is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the sea-air limb in the "plastic cycle", and facilitates the management of future microplastic pollution.
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