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Efficient transport of atmospheric microplastics onto the continent via the East Asian summer monsoon

Journal of Hazardous Materials 2021 100 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 60 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Changjun Li, Xiaohui Wang, Changjun Li, Changjun Li, Xiaohui Wang, Changjun Li, Daoji Li Daoji Li Changjun Li, Feng Zhang, Daoji Li Lixin Zhu, Changjun Li, Feng Zhang, Feng Zhang, Daoji Li Daoji Li Changjun Li, Changjun Li, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Kai Liu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Kai Liu, Kai Liu, Kai Liu, Xiaohui Wang, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Daoji Li Lixin Zhu, Daoji Li Lixin Zhu, Daoji Li Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Changjun Li, Changjun Li, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Feng Zhang, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Feng Zhang, Feng Zhang, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Feng Zhang, Daoji Li Kai Liu, Kai Liu, Changjun Li, Changjun Li, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Kai Liu, Lixin Zhu, Feng Zhang, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Kai Liu, Feng Zhang, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Daoji Li Changjun Li, Kai Liu, Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Daoji Li Daoji Li Feng Zhang, Feng Zhang, Feng Zhang, Daoji Li Lixin Zhu, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Changjun Li, Daoji Li Daoji Li Kai Liu, Daoji Li Kai Liu, Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Lixin Zhu, Feng Zhang, Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Kai Liu, Kai Liu, Feng Zhang, Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Daoji Li Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Changjun Li, Changjun Li, Xiaohui Wang, Daoji Li Feng Zhang, Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Feng Zhang, Feng Zhang, Feng Zhang, Daoji Li Daoji Li Lixin Zhu, Lixin Zhu, Daoji Li Daoji Li

Summary

Researchers discovered that the East Asian summer monsoon efficiently transports airborne microplastics from the ocean back onto land in southeastern China. The study estimated that up to 213 kilograms of microplastics per year are carried inland by monsoon winds originating from Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia. This finding suggests that not all ocean-bound airborne microplastics end up in marine ecosystems, as monsoon patterns can redirect significant amounts back to terrestrial environments.

Study Type Environmental

The presence of microplastics (MPs) in the atmosphere is a global concern because of its environmental and health impacts; however, the monsoonal transport of atmospheric MPs has not yet been investigated. To fully understand the effect of the monsoon on atmospheric MP transport, we conducted a study along the southeast coast of China during the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). We found that the EASM transports atmospheric MPs back onto the continent at a flux of up to 212.977-213.433 kg/EASM/year. The backward trajectory and wind field results indicate that the EASM provides an effective MP transport pathway from Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia to southeastern China. This suggests that only some of the airborne MPs over the ocean enter the marine ecosystem. The average abundance of atmospheric MPs over the sampling area was 0.39 items/100 m (0.39 ± 0.43 items/100 m) during the EASM season, with high variability among the sampling sites. This study improves our understanding of the impact of the EASM on atmospheric MP transport, which can help quantify the contributions of atmospheric MPs to marine or terrestrial ecosystems.

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