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Occurrence and backtracking of microplastic mass loads including tire wear particles in northern Atlantic air
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Scientists measured airborne microplastic concentrations, including tire wear particles, in the atmosphere over the Norwegian coast and Arctic waters using specialized air sampling devices. They detected microplastics even in remote Arctic locations, with tire wear particles being the most abundant type found. Atmospheric transport modeling suggested these particles enter the marine atmosphere from both land and sea sources, indicating that airborne transport is a significant pathway for microplastic pollution reaching remote ocean regions.
Few studies report the occurrence of microplastics (MP), including tire wear particles (TWP) in the marine atmosphere, and little data is available regarding their size or sources. Here we present active air sampling devices (low- and high-volume samplers) for the evaluation of composition and MP mass loads in the marine atmosphere. Air was sampled during a research cruise along the Norwegian coast up to Bear Island. Samples were analyzed with pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, generating a mass-based data set for MP in the marine atmosphere. Here we show the ubiquity of MP, even in remote Arctic areas with concentrations up to 37.5 ng m. Cluster of polyethylene terephthalate (max. 1.5 ng m) were universally present. TWP (max. 35 ng m) and cluster of polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyurethane (max. 1.1 ng m) were also detected. Atmospheric transport and dispersion models, suggested the introduction of MP into the marine atmosphere equally from sea- and land-based emissions, transforming the ocean from a sink into a source for MP.
More Papers Like This
Occurrence and backtracking of microplastic mass loads including tire wear particles in northern Atlantic air
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used active air sampling devices during a research cruise along the Norwegian coast to the Arctic to measure microplastic mass loads in the marine atmosphere, including tire wear particles, analyzed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. They found microplastics were omnipresent even in remote Arctic sampling areas, with polyethylene terephthalate ubiquitous and tire wear particles reaching up to 35 ng/m3, and atmospheric transport models indicating both sea-based and land-based emission sources.
Occurrence and backtracking of microplastic mass loads including tire wear particles in northern Atlantic air
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers measured microplastic mass loads — including tire wear particles — in the marine atmosphere during a research cruise along the Norwegian coast to Bear Island, using both low-volume and high-volume active air samplers while applying rigorous contamination controls to quantify microplastic transport in the northern Atlantic air.
Airborne microplastics on the move: Urban Europe as a source to remote regions
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Researchers measured airborne microplastics at both urban and remote sites across Norway and found that tire wear particles dominated urban air pollution, with seasonal peaks during the switch to winter tires. Microplastics were also detected at remote locations far from cities, confirming that these particles undergo long-range atmospheric transport from urban source regions across Europe.
Airborne microplastic particles detected in the remote marine atmosphere
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Researchers detected airborne microplastic particles — including polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene — in aerosol samples collected over the remote North Atlantic Ocean far from land. Back trajectory analysis and matching polymer types in both air and seawater suggest the ocean surface itself is a source of airborne microplastics, with true particle counts likely higher than detected since only particles above 5 micrometers were analyzed.
Atmospheric Transport, a Major Pathway of Microplastics to Remote Regions
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This first global simulation of atmospheric microplastic transport showed that tire and brake wear particles can travel thousands of kilometers from roads to remote regions including polar areas. The model confirms that road traffic is a major global source of microplastic atmospheric deposition in areas far from any direct human activity.
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