Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

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.

2023
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Digital Commons - USU (Utah State University)
Article Tier 2

The atmospheric settling of commercially sold microplastics

Researchers measured the gravitational settling velocities of commercially available glitter microplastics (0.1-3 mm nominal diameter) and synthetic fibers (1.2-5 mm length) in air, finding that non-spherical shapes cause complex settling behaviors that deviate substantially from spherical particle models used in atmospheric transport models.

2025
Article Tier 2

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.

2022
Article Tier 2

Shape matters: long-range transport of microplastic fibers in the atmosphere

This study modeled the long-range atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers, finding that their elongated non-spherical shape causes them to travel much farther than spherical particles before settling. This helps explain why microplastic fibers are found even in the most remote locations on Earth, far from any plastic pollution source.

2023 arXiv (Cornell University) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 39 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Lagrangian tracking of particles settling through the atmosphere: influence of particle shape on its dispersion

Researchers launched instrumented balloon experiments as part of the IMPACT field campaign in northern Finland to track non-spherical particle settling through the atmosphere, finding that particle shape significantly influences dispersion trajectories and that existing spherical-particle models underestimate the spread of realistic atmospheric particles such as microplastics.

2025
Article Tier 2

Long-distance atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers depends on their shapes

This study investigated how the shape of microplastic fibers affects how far they travel through the atmosphere. Long, thin fibers stay airborne longer and can be transported greater distances than compact fragments, explaining why synthetic textile fibers are so widely found in remote environments.

2023
Article Tier 2

Tracking the sources of atmospheric microplastic using FLEXPART v.

Researchers used the FLEXPART atmospheric particle dispersion model to track the sources and transport pathways of atmospheric microplastics detected at monitoring sites around the world, accounting for the complex shapes of microplastic fibres that complicate standard atmospheric transport modelling. The study aimed to reduce uncertainty in source attribution for atmospheric microplastics and characterise the relative contributions of different emission sources including urban areas, oceans, and agricultural regions.

2024
Article Tier 2

Predicted settling velocity of sampled MPFs

This is a dataset of predicted settling velocities for microplastic fibers using a newly proposed model — not a standalone research article.

2023 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Shape Matters: Long-Range Transport of Microplastic Fibers in the Atmosphere

Researchers used atmospheric modeling to explain how microplastic fibers can travel long distances through the air, even reaching remote locations far from population centers. They found that the elongated shape of fibers gives them significantly different aerodynamic properties than spherical particles, allowing them to stay airborne much longer. The study helps explain why microplastics have been detected in pristine environments like mountain peaks and polar regions.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 111 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025
Article Tier 2

Comment on egusphere-2025-605

Researchers examined the atmospheric settling behavior of commercially available glitter particles and synthetic fibers with complex non-spherical shapes to improve models of large microplastic transport and deposition. Experimental measurements of gravitational settling velocity for glitters (0.1-3 mm diameter) and fibers (1.2-5 mm length) provided data largely absent from prior literature on aerodynamic microplastic behavior.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastic particles resuspensions in bare soils and global atmospheric transport

Researchers estimated global atmospheric transport of microplastics resuspended from bare soils using the FLEXPART dispersion model and FLEXDUST dust emission scheme, simulating transport of spheres and fibers across a range of sizes via Monte Carlo analysis to quantify secondary microplastic sources and their global distribution.

2024
Article Tier 2

Modelling the effect of shape on atmospheric microplastic transport

Using atmospheric transport modeling, researchers showed that the shape of microplastic particles significantly affects how far they travel through the air. Long fibers can spread over a 32% larger area than spherical particles of the same size, and shape matters most for particles larger than 6 micrometers. Since particles in the 6 to 10 micrometer range can reach deep into human lungs, accurately accounting for shape is important for predicting where airborne microplastics end up and who might be breathing them in.

2024 Atmospheric Environment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

A physics-based and orientation-aware method for the direct calculation of  the settling speed of prolate spheroidal particles in the atmosphere : theoretical basis and comparison to laboratory and CFL data

Researchers developed a physics-based, orientation-aware method for calculating the settling speed of prolate spheroidal particles such as microplastic fibres in the atmosphere, grounding the approach in theoretical drag and orientation models rather than purely empirical fits and validating it against laboratory and CFD data.

2025
Article Tier 2

FLEXPART 10.4 output for "Occurrence and backtracking of microplastic mass loads including tire wear particles in Northern Atlantic air"

This is a second dataset entry for FLEXPART atmospheric particle tracking data supporting a study of microplastic mass loads, including tire wear particles, in Northern Atlantic air. Atmospheric transport is an important pathway for distributing microplastics to remote marine and terrestrial environments.

2023 Nature Communications
Article Tier 2

Improved Settling Velocity for Microplastic Fibers: A New Shape-Dependent Drag Model

A new shape-dependent drag model was developed to improve the accuracy of settling velocity predictions for microplastic fibers, addressing a major limitation of existing drag models that significantly underpredict fiber settling in aquatic environments.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Terminal Settling Velocity of Cylindrical Rods with Various Geometries Applicable to Atmospheric Microplastics

Researchers measured how the shape of cylindrical microplastic fibers affects their settling speed through air, finding that curved and V-shaped fibers fall significantly faster than straight ones — up to 57% faster for V-shaped rods — which matters for predicting how airborne microplastics disperse in the atmosphere.

2024 Proceedings of the ... International Conference on Fluid Flow, Heat and Mass Transfer
Article Tier 2

A Laboratory Dataset on Transport and Deposition of Spherical and Cylindrical Large Microplastics for Validation of Numerical Models

This paper presents a laboratory dataset on the transport and deposition of spherical microplastic particles under controlled flow conditions, providing empirical data on how particle size and flow velocity influence settling and lateral dispersion. The dataset is intended to support calibration of microplastic transport models.

2024 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Mobility and retention of microplastic fibers and irregular plastic fragments in fluvial systems: an experimental flume study

Researchers conducted experimental flume studies to compare the mobility and retention of microplastic fibres and irregularly shaped plastic fragments in fluvial systems. The study found that particle shape strongly influences transport behaviour, with fibres exhibiting greater mobility and distinct retention patterns compared to irregular fragments, highlighting the need to move beyond spherical particle models in microplastic transport research.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics
Article Tier 2

FLEXPART 10.4 output for "Occurrence and backtracking of microplastic mass loads including tire wear particles in Northern Atlantic air"

This is a dataset entry for atmospheric particle tracking data used in a study of microplastic transport in Northern Atlantic air, including tire wear particles detected during ship campaigns. The data supports modeling the long-range atmospheric transport of microplastics across ocean regions.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)