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Present and future shortwave radiative forcing of tire and brake wear microplastics
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This study presents the first estimates of shortwave instantaneous radiative forcing caused by airborne and surface-deposited tire and brake wear particles (TBWPs), assuming their absorptive properties are bounded at the level of black carbon. The analysis includes current forcing estimates and projections to 2100 based on forecasted changes in TBWP emissions, concentrations, and deposition, with emphasis on polar regions where albedo amplifies the effect. Results establish a framework for quantifying TBWPs as a non-combustion particulate contributor to climate forcing.
We present for the first time the present and future shortwave (SW) instantaneous radiative forcing (IRF) due to tire and brake wear particles (TBWPs). We include the effects of both airborne and deposited TBWP. The latter is important for snow covered surfaces. This may be particularly important for the polar regions that, according to the latest AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme) report, warm three times more quickly than the rest of the planet, and faster than previously thought. To the best of our knowledge, the optical properties, and an accurate size distribution for TBWPs are currently lacking. However, by assuming an upper limit of the absorbing properties of TBWPs (equal to black carbon), we present the first estimates of the radiative forcing of TBWPs. We also make sensitivity test with different assumptions regarding TBWP absorptivity and size distributions to calculate the effect and uncertainty our assumptions have in the overall results. Finally, we quantify the future SW IRF of TBWPs until 2100 globally and for various regions due to forecasted changes in TBWP emissions, surface concentrations and deposition rates.
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Researchers analyzed atmospherically deposited particles on snow surfaces at high elevations in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and found black substances associated with microplastic fibers originating from tire wear. These particles contain carbon black, a light-absorbing additive, which may accelerate snowmelt by absorbing solar radiation similarly to black carbon soot. The study suggests that airborne tire-wear microplastics could contribute roughly 10% additional radiative forcing in snow-covered regions, with implications for water resources.
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Researchers modeled the direct radiative forcing of atmospheric micro- and nanoplastics using measured optical properties, finding that colored particles absorb light at 74.8 times the rate of pristine particles and produce a mean global forcing of 0.039 W/m² — equivalent to 16% of black carbon — with regional hotspots over ocean gyres where MPs can outforce black carbon by nearly fivefold.
[Black microplastics in the environment: Origin, transport and risk of tire wear particles].
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Researchers systematically investigated the ice-nucleating properties of tire-wear particles -- one of the largest global sources of microplastic pollution at approximately 6 million tons annually -- finding that these airborne particles can act as heterogeneous ice nucleating agents capable of influencing cloud glaciation and atmospheric processes during long-range transport.
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