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Atmospheric Resuspension of Microplastics from Bare Soil Regions

Environmental Science & Technology 2024 22 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 55 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Daria Tatsii, Silvia Bucci, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Daria Tatsii, Daria Tatsii, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Ioanna Evangelou, Silvia Bucci, Ioanna Evangelou, Silvia Bucci, Ioanna Evangelou, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Ioanna Evangelou, A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl Silvia Bucci, A. Stohl A. Stohl Silvia Bucci, A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl Silvia Bucci, A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, Silvia Bucci, A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl A. Stohl

Summary

Researchers developed a method to estimate how microplastics get lifted from bare soil into the atmosphere along with mineral dust, then modeled their global transport and deposition. They found that this soil-based resuspension is a meaningful source of atmospheric microplastics, with fiber-shaped particles traveling significantly farther than spherical ones. The study suggests that dust storms and wind erosion from agricultural and arid lands may be an underappreciated pathway for spreading microplastic contamination worldwide.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging as an atmospheric pollutant. Here, we present a method of estimating MP resuspension with mineral dust in bare soil based on reported MP mass in soils, their enrichment in suspended dust relative to soil, and a mineral dust resuspension scheme. Using the estimated resuspensions, we simulate the global atmospheric MP transport and deposition using the dispersion model FLEXPART for two particle shape scenarios, spheres, and fibers. We estimate the uncertainties using a Monte Carlo technique that varies input data parameters within their reported ranges. The total MP resuspensions are estimated at about 104 (48-110) tonnes yr<sup>-1</sup>. We find that bare soils in West Asia and North Africa are the main source regions. FLEXPART results show that fibers have higher concentrations in the atmosphere and are dispersed more widely than spheres. Annually, 75 (43-83) tonnes of microfibers are deposited on land and 29 (18-33) tonnes in the oceans. Resuspended MPs can even reach remote regions, such as the Arctic. The results suggest that areas with bare soils can be an important MP source; however, further research on the factors that affect resuspension is needed.

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