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How the atmosphere transports microplastics
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A news report summarizes a first-of-its-kind modeling study showing that decades of accumulated plastic pollution is continuously cycling around the planet through the atmosphere, explaining why microplastics appear in remote locations far from any pollution source. Atmospheric transport is now understood as a major global redistribution pathway for microplastics.
The first study to model microplastic transport in the atmosphere suggests that decades worth of legacy plastic pollution is cycling around the planet. The study suggests this movement of microplastics between land and sea via the atmosphere explains the presence of microplastics in remote places ( Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2021, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020719118 ). Study leader Janice Brahney , a Utah State University biogeochemist, drew on her group’s database detailing microplastics deposited in remote areas across the western US. Cornell University atmospheric chemist Natalie Mahowald used a computer model to predict where those plastics might have come from . The team estimates that 84% of microplastic in the study region comes from roads. These particles can be in dust thrown up by cars or can be emitted directly from tire and brake wear and tear. About 5% of plastic in the database comes from agricultural dust. The oceans are
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This review synthesizes current knowledge about how micro- and nanoplastics move through the atmosphere, covering their sources, transport mechanisms, and eventual deposition. Researchers found that atmospheric transport can carry these particles over long distances quickly, making it a major pathway for global plastic pollution spread. The study identifies key knowledge gaps needed for developing accurate models of airborne microplastic behavior.
Exploring the Transport Path of Oceanic Microplastics in the Atmosphere
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Researchers used computer modeling to estimate how microplastics are launched from the ocean surface into the atmosphere and transported around the globe. They identified tropical ocean regions as major emission hotspots and found that tiny plastic particles can travel efficiently through the atmosphere and even reach the stratosphere, where they may linger for months. The study suggests that current estimates of ocean surface microplastic concentrations may be one to two orders of magnitude too low.
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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.