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Importance of atmospheric transport for microplastics deposited in remote areas

Environmental Pollution 2019 317 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Yulan Zhang, Tanguang Gao, Shichang Kang, Shichang Kang, Mika Sillanpää

Summary

This study highlights atmospheric transport as a significant and underappreciated pathway for depositing micro- and nanoplastics in remote areas including mountain regions and polar zones far from plastic sources. Airborne plastic particles can travel thousands of kilometers before being deposited, explaining the presence of microplastics in seemingly pristine remote environments.

Atmospheric transport is an important pathway for the deposition of micro- and nano-plastics in remote areas. However, the sources and fate of atmospheric microplastics remain poorly understood. A study on atmospheric transport and deposition in the Pyrenean Mountains highlights the movement of microplastics away from known sources (cities, agriculture, and industry) into remote areas. Following this first evidence of atmospheric microplastic deposition in a pristine location, it is necessary to reconsider previous studies on atmospheric microplastic deposition and behavior in remote areas.

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