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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.
Atmospheric processes and extreme weather events are pathways for the global distribution and deposition of microplastics. Despite the global prevalence of meteorological events, our understanding of atmospheric microplastic pathways and fall-out to the terrestrial, aquatic and marine environment resulting from storms and severe events is limited. In this study, we geospatially consider a unique time series of the movement of atmospheric microplastics and anthropogenic microdebris during an extreme tropical storm in Atlantic Canada. The large tropical storm Fiona was recorded as the deepest cyclone that caused the worst financial damage on record for Eastern Canada during its’ landfall in Nova Scotia (September 22nd to 24th 2022). We collected a unique timeseries of passive deposition samples of atmospheric fall-out before, during, and after storm Fiona. Through micro-Raman spectroscopy and Nile Red fluorescence techniques, we chemically and morphologically characterized particles and quantifies the microdebris and microplastic fallout resulting from the storm. Using back trajectory modelling we aim to identify storm related sources and movement of these particles prior to deposition. As climate change drives increased storm frequency and intensity, it becomes more critical than ever to obtain meteorological baseline data of these pathways.
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Surveys conducted before and after a typhoon in Sagami Bay, Japan found that the storm significantly altered concentrations and characteristics of micro- and mesoplastics in coastal waters approximately 30 km offshore, demonstrating that extreme storms are important drivers of plastic redistribution at sea.
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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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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.