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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Vertical concentrations gradients and transport of airborne microplastics in wind tunnel experiments
ClearVertical concentrations gradients and transport of airborne microplastics in wind tunnel experiments
Wind tunnel experiments tracked how tiny airborne microplastic particles (about half a micrometer in diameter) distribute vertically in moving air, finding conditions under which they can remain suspended and travel long distances. These results help explain how microplastics reach remote environments like mountain peaks and Arctic ice, and contribute to models of human inhalation exposure in urban and rural settings.
Comment on ar-2024-9
Researchers studied the vertical transport of airborne microplastics in a wind tunnel under neutral stability conditions, injecting polystyrene microspheres of 0.51 micrometers diameter via an ultrasonic disperser to identify the conditions required for long-range atmospheric transport. The controlled experimental setup provided time-invariant generation of single airborne particles to characterize the aerodynamic behavior governing microplastic dispersion in the atmosphere.
Comment on ar-2024-9
Researchers studied the vertical transport of airborne polystyrene microspheres (0.51 micrometre diameter) in a controlled wind tunnel under neutral atmospheric stability, to identify the conditions enabling long-range atmospheric transport of microplastics. The wind tunnel experiments with ultrasonically generated aerosol droplets provided mechanistic insight into how sub-micrometre plastic particles can be lifted and sustained in the atmosphere for potential long-distance dispersal.
Comment on ar-2024-9
Researchers studied the vertical transport of airborne microplastics in a wind tunnel under controlled neutral stability conditions, using an ultrasonic disperser to generate polystyrene particle-laden aerosols and identify the conditions enabling long-range atmospheric transport. They found specific turbulence and particle size thresholds determining whether microplastics become suspended for long-range dispersal versus depositing locally.
Is transport of microplastics different from mineral particles? Idealized wind tunnel studies on polyethylene microspheres
Wind tunnel experiments revealed that plastic (polyethylene) microspheres behave differently from mineral dust particles when transported by wind, particularly on hydrophobic surfaces, where plastic particles detach and become airborne more readily. Particle-to-particle collisions were found to both assist and impede detachment. These findings help explain why microplastics are found in remote atmospheric environments and improve models for predicting how far plastic particles can travel through the air from pollution sources.
Is transport of microplastics different from that of mineral dust? Results from idealized wind tunnel studies
Researchers conducted wind tunnel experiments to examine the detachment and transport behavior of microplastics ranging from 38 to 125 um in diameter from idealized substrates, comparing their aerodynamic behavior to the well-established literature on mineral dust transport. The study identified key differences in microplastic detachment mechanisms relevant to understanding long-range atmospheric dispersal of plastic particles.
Normalized Settling Velocity Governs Short-Range Transport of Atmospheric Microplastics
Wind tunnel experiments showed that how fast a microplastic particle settles under gravity—its normalized settling velocity—is the single best predictor of how far it travels through the air before landing. This finding helps fill a major gap in atmospheric microplastic research by enabling better models of where airborne plastic particles deposit, which affects estimates of human inhalation exposure and ecosystem contamination.
Effects of Shape and Size on Microplastic Atmospheric Settling Velocity
Researchers measured atmospheric settling and horizontal drift velocities of various microplastic shapes and sizes in controlled settling chambers, providing empirical data needed to improve atmospheric transport models that explain how microplastics reach remote environments.
Atmospheric transport dynamics of microplastic fibres
Researchers examined the atmospheric transport dynamics of microplastic fibres within boundary layer flows, comparing their motion to mineral grain transport and finding key differences in behaviour that have important implications for modelling the long-range atmospheric dispersal of microplastics to remote and rural locations.
Vertical distribution and transport of microplastics in the urban atmosphere: New insights from field observations
Researchers conducted field observations of airborne microplastics at four different heights in Guangzhou, China, from ground level up to 488 meters on the Canton Tower. They found that microplastic concentrations decreased with altitude but were still present at the highest sampling point, suggesting that these particles can travel through the atmosphere over long distances. The study provides the first detailed vertical profile of atmospheric microplastics in an urban setting, offering new insights into how these particles are transported through the air.
Experimental investigation of the fallout dynamics of microplastic fragments in wind tunnel: The BURNIA agenda
Wind tunnel experiments were used to measure the settling velocity of airborne microplastic fragments of PET, PVC, and low-density polyethylene, providing the first empirical data to model how plastic particles fall out of the atmosphere.
Is plastic dust different from mineral dust? Results from idealized wind tunnel experiments.
Researchers conducted wind tunnel experiments to compare how plastic particles of different sizes detach from flat surfaces in wind compared to mineral dust particles. Plastic particles required higher wind speeds to become airborne than mineral dust of similar size, likely due to shape differences. These findings inform atmospheric transport models for predicting how far and how much microplastic can be carried by wind across the landscape.
Influence of meteorological conditions on atmospheric microplastic transport and deposition
This review summarizes how weather conditions like wind, rain, and temperature affect how microplastics travel through the atmosphere and settle back to Earth. Wind can carry microplastics across long distances between land and ocean, creating a global cycle of airborne plastic pollution that contributes to the microplastics we inevitably breathe in every day.
Modeling the Gravitational Settling of Microplastic Fibers in the Atmosphere
Researchers developed and applied a model for gravitational settling of microplastic fibers in the atmosphere, examining how fiber shape and size influence atmospheric residence time and deposition patterns to better understand the global atmospheric transport cycle of microplastics.
Occurrence and transport of microplastics sampled within and above the planetary boundary layer
Aircraft sampling campaigns measured microplastic occurrence in the atmosphere both within and above the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Microplastics were detected at altitudes above the PBL, providing the first direct evidence that microplastics are present in the atmosphere at significant heights above the ground surface.
Entrainment and horizontal atmospheric transport of microplastics from soil
Researchers investigated the mechanisms by which microplastics become entrained from soil into the atmosphere, finding that wind-driven processes can transport plastic particles horizontally near the ground surface, establishing agricultural soils as a significant source of airborne microplastics.
Gravitational settling of microplastic fibers: experimental results and implications for global transport
This study measured the gravitational settling velocities of microplastic fibers and found that their non-spherical shape causes them to settle much more slowly than spheres of the same volume. Current atmospheric transport models that assume spherical particles significantly underestimate how long fibers remain airborne. These results have important implications for predicting how far microplastic fibers can travel before depositing.
Dynamics of airborne microplastics, appraisal and distributional behaviour in atmosphere; a review
This review explores the sources, distribution, and behaviour of airborne microplastics in the terrestrial environment. Researchers summarize how factors like size, density, and atmospheric conditions influence microplastic transport and concentration in air. The study highlights that airborne exposure represents a significant and relatively understudied route of human microplastic intake, with particles capable of carrying organic pollutants that bioaccumulate through food webs.
Long-distance atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers depends on their shapes
Researchers developed a theory-based settling velocity model for microplastic fibers in the atmosphere that accounts for fiber shape and cross-sectional dimensions, finding that correctly characterising flat fibers rather than treating them as cylinders increases estimated mean atmospheric residence time by over 450%, suggesting the ocean is a major source of airborne plastic and that long-range transport is far more efficient than previously thought.
Particle properties and environmental factors control atmospheric transport and deposition of micro- and nanoplastics
Researchers built a mathematical model to predict how micro- and nanoplastics travel through the atmosphere, finding that particles around 1 micrometer in diameter and fiber-shaped plastics can remain airborne for weeks and travel long distances. Factors like wind speed, rainfall, and the particles' own shape and density determine whether plastics stay in the air for seconds or spread globally.
Evidence of free tropospheric and long-range transport of microplastic at Pic du Midi Observatory
Researchers found microplastic particles in the free troposphere at nearly 2,900 meters elevation at Pic du Midi Observatory, with air trajectory modeling showing intercontinental and trans-oceanic transport, demonstrating that microplastics can travel vast distances through the upper atmosphere.
Physical characteristics of microplastic particles and potential for global atmospheric transport: A meta-analysis
This meta-analysis pools data from multiple studies to examine the physical characteristics of airborne microplastics and how they travel through the atmosphere. The findings confirm that microplastics can be transported globally by wind, meaning people everywhere are breathing in these particles regardless of how far they live from pollution sources.
Atmospheric transport of microplastic particles as a function of their size and shape
Researchers investigated the atmospheric transport and settling of microplastic particles as a function of size and shape, implementing a shape-correction parameterization for fiber-shaped particles in an atmospheric transport model to better represent their reduced gravitational settling velocity compared to spheres. The study showed that non-spherical fibers experience greater atmospheric drag, increasing their residence time and transport distance, and that including shape effects improved agreement between model output and ground-based measurements.
Data on the gravitational settling experiment and FLEXPART simulations output
This is a dataset accompanying a research paper on long-range atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers, providing gravitational settling measurements and FLEXPART dispersion model simulation outputs. The companion paper demonstrates that the shape of microplastic particles significantly influences how far they can be carried in the atmosphere.