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A Review of the Effects of Marine (Micro)plastics on Climate Factors
Original title: 해양 (미세)플라스틱이 기후인자에 미치는 영향에 관한 고찰
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This Korean-language paper reviews how marine microplastics affect climate-related variables, a topic much less studied than their ecological impacts. Researchers found that microplastics in the ocean absorb solar radiation and alter the sea surface microlayer, potentially raising sea surface temperatures and affecting cloud formation and precipitation.
Although the effects of marine microplastics on living organisms and their roles as carriers of organic pollutants to living organisms and the marine environment have already been studied, this paper focuses on the effects of marine microplastics on climate that haven’t been studied yet. Microplastics in the oceans absorb more solar radiation and alter the biophysical properties of the surface microlayer, resulting in an increase in the sea surface temperature (SST). An increase in the SST and the concentration of microplastics that cover the surface layer, interrupts the physical interaction between seawater and carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Consequently, the solubility of carbon dioxide in seawater is lowered, and thereby increases the retention time of CO2 in the atmosphere. Furthermore, plastics that are in the ocean can be decomposed by solar radiation, such as UV-B rays and directly release greenhouse gases such as methane, ethylene, ethane, and propylene, and thereby accelerates the greenhouse effect. Therefore, considering the marine microplastics as a new factor in the ocean- atmosphere coupled model, the extent of the impact of microplastics on weather should be quantitatively reviewed.
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