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Atmospheric microplastic emissions from land and ocean
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Researchers quantified atmospheric microplastic emissions from both land and ocean surfaces, finding that re-suspension of deposited plastics from land and sea spray from the ocean are significant sources of airborne particles. The results highlight that the ocean is not just a sink but also a source of airborne microplastics.
Atmospheric microplastic compiled dataset: Excel and CSV formats (atmo_MP_dataset.xlsx, atmo_MP_dataset.csv) Top-down (TD-B, TD-E), bottom-up (BU), and scaled BU microplastic number emissions for size ranges of 5-10, 10-25, 25-50, and 50-100 $\mu$m: NetCDF format (TDB_emissions.nc, TDE_emissions.nc, BU_emissions.nc, scaled_BU_emissions.nc). The corresponding mass emissions of a size bin can be calculated by multiplying the number emission field by the mass of a spherical particle with size the geometric mean of the size bin and density equal to 1200 kg m$^{-3}$. FLEXPART version 11 settings: configuration files of the backward simulations (FLEXPART_options)
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Examination of the ocean as a source for atmospheric microplastics
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Researchers assessed whether the ocean can be a net source of atmospheric microplastics (rather than just a sink), finding evidence that bubble bursting and sea spray can eject plastic particles from ocean surface waters into the atmosphere.
Global microplastic emission and deposition fluxes at the ocean-atmosphere interface
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This study used bottom-up modeling to estimate how microplastics move between the ocean surface and the atmosphere at a global scale. The findings suggest ocean surfaces are both a source and sink for airborne microplastics, helping explain how plastics cycle through Earth's major environmental systems.
Atmospheric microplastic emissions from land and ocean
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Researchers compiled global data on airborne microplastics and found that fewer particles enter the atmosphere than previously estimated, with land-based sources producing far more particles by number than ocean sources. Concentrations over land were 27 times higher than over the ocean. This study helps clarify how much microplastic people breathe in and shows that urban and land-based environments are the primary sources of airborne microplastic exposure.
Atmospheric microplastic emissions from land and ocean
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Researchers compiled a comprehensive atmospheric microplastic dataset and derived top-down and bottom-up emission estimates for particles in the 5-100 micrometer size range from both land and ocean sources, providing gridded emissions data in multiple formats for use in atmospheric transport modelling.
Constraining Microplastic Particle Emission Flux from the Ocean
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Researchers quantified the transfer of microplastics from seawater to sea spray aerosols in laboratory experiments, finding enrichment factors up to 24,000-fold depending on particle size. Their bottom-up emission estimate suggests the oceans emit 24 quintillion microplastic pieces per year but are unlikely to be a significant source of atmospheric microplastics relative to land-based sources.
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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.