Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics ride the atmosphere

Research confirms that microplastic particles are transported through the atmosphere over long distances, depositing in remote areas including the Arctic and high mountains. Atmospheric transport is now recognized as a major pathway spreading microplastic contamination to virtually every part of the planet.

2020 C&EN Global Enterprise 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review of Atmospheric Micro/Nanoplastics: Insights into Source and Fate for Modelling Studies

This review synthesizes current knowledge about how micro- and nanoplastics move through the atmosphere, covering their sources, transport mechanisms, and eventual deposition. Researchers found that atmospheric transport can carry these particles over long distances quickly, making it a major pathway for global plastic pollution spread. The study identifies key knowledge gaps needed for developing accurate models of airborne microplastic behavior.

2025 Current Pollution Reports 3 citations
Review Tier 2

Distribution and transport of atmospheric microplastics and the environmental impacts: A review

This review examines the distribution, transport, and environmental impacts of atmospheric microplastics, synthesizing evidence that airborne plastics are found globally from urban centers to remote polar regions. The authors identify deposition via precipitation as a major pathway by which atmospheric microplastics contaminate soil and water surfaces.

2022 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric Transport, a Major Pathway of Microplastics to Remote Regions

This first global simulation of atmospheric microplastic transport showed that tire and brake wear particles can travel thousands of kilometers from roads to remote regions including polar areas. The model confirms that road traffic is a major global source of microplastic atmospheric deposition in areas far from any direct human activity.

2020 Preprints.org 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Global emission, atmospheric transport and deposition trends of microplastics originating from road traffic

This modeling study estimated global emissions, atmospheric transport, and deposition of microplastics from road traffic sources, finding that road-derived microplastics are transported long distances by wind and deposited in remote locations including the Arctic. The findings quantify roads as a globally important source of atmospheric microplastic pollution.

2021 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources and Circulation of Microplastics in the Aerosphere – Atmospheric Transport of Microplastics

This review examines sources, transport mechanisms, and deposition patterns of airborne microplastics in the atmosphere, finding that factors like wind, temperature, rainfall, population density, and human activities influence their abundance and long-distance dispersal.

2023 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Various Perspectives on Occurrence, Sources, Measurement Techniques, Transport, and Insights Into Future Scope for Research of Atmospheric Microplastics

This review synthesized current knowledge on atmospheric microplastics, covering their sources, occurrence across global regions, measurement techniques, and transport mechanisms, while identifying key research gaps for future investigation.

2023 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Importance of atmospheric transport for microplastics deposited in remote areas

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.

2019 Environmental Pollution 317 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric transport is a major pathway of microplastics to remote regions

Using global atmospheric transport simulations, researchers modeled the dispersal of tire wear particles and brake dust from roads, finding that atmospheric transport is a major — and previously underestimated — pathway delivering microplastics to remote regions far from traffic sources.

2020 Nature Communications 1008 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric Microplastics: Inputs and Outputs

Researchers examined how microplastics enter and move through the atmosphere, finding that up to 8.6 megatons per year may be suspended in air above the oceans alone. The particles are launched into the air from ocean spray and land-based sources, then distributed by wind before returning to Earth through rain and dry deposition. The study highlights that atmospheric transport is a major pathway for spreading microplastic contamination to even the most remote regions of the planet.

2025 Preprints.org 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Atmosphere

This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on microplastic pollution in the atmosphere, covering sources, transport, deposition, and potential health effects of inhaled airborne microplastics. The authors note that initial research focused on marine environments but atmospheric microplastic pollution is a rapidly growing concern.

2023 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review of Atmospheric Micro/Nanoplastics: Insights into Source and Fate for Modelling Studies

This review synthesizes current knowledge on sources, atmospheric transport, and environmental fate of micro- and nanoplastics in the atmosphere, identifying key knowledge gaps including the long-range transport potential, dry and wet deposition rates, and health implications of inhaled airborne plastic particles.

2025
Article Tier 2

The Peril of Plastics: Atmospheric Microplastics in Outdoor, Indoor, and Remote Environments

This review surveys the current state of knowledge about microplastics suspended in the atmosphere, covering outdoor, indoor, and remote environments. Researchers found that airborne microplastics are far more widespread than previously recognized, with fibers from textiles and vehicle tire wear being major sources. The study highlights that atmospheric transport can carry microplastics to even the most remote locations on Earth, and that inhaling these particles poses potential health concerns.

2024 Sustainable Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Environmental Research 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric chemistry of microplastics: Transport, environmental impacts, and governance

This article reviewed the atmospheric chemistry of microplastics, examining their sources, environmental transport, deposition, chemical transformations in the atmosphere, and governance frameworks. It found that airborne MPs travel globally, undergo photochemical aging, and deliver plastic-bound pollutants far from their emission sources.

2024 Science and Technology of Engineering Chemistry and Environmental Protection
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the atmosphere: transportation and impact on humans

This chapter reviews the origins, atmospheric transport, distribution, and characterization of airborne microplastics. The authors note that microplastics have been detected in urban, suburban, and remote regions, raising the possibility of long-distance atmospheric transport. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps about the global distribution and health risks of airborne microplastics due to limitations in detection technologies and sampling methods.

2024 Microplastics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Atmospheric Transport of Microplastics over Asia and Adjacent Oceans

Researchers developed an atmospheric transport model for microplastics over Asia, estimating annual emissions of 310 gigagrams and finding that atmospheric transport efficiently carries microplastics from land sources to remote ocean regions across the Pacific and Indian oceans.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Constraining the atmospheric limb of the plastic cycle

Researchers modeled the atmospheric transport of microplastics across the western United States and found that most airborne particles originate from the breakdown of legacy plastic waste that has accumulated in the environment. Roads were identified as the dominant source, followed by marine, agricultural, and dust emissions near population centers. The study suggests that atmospheric microplastic transport represents a significant and underappreciated component of the global plastic pollution cycle.

2021 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 528 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Atmosphere: A Global Perspective

This global modeling study found that atmospheric microplastic sources are dominated by land-based transport rather than ocean emissions, challenging earlier assumptions and suggesting that road traffic and other terrestrial activities are the primary drivers of microplastic particle distribution in the atmosphere.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric Micro and Nanoplastics: An Enormous Microscopic Problem

This review examined atmospheric micro- and nanoplastic pollution, synthesizing evidence that plastic particles are suspended, transported, and deposited globally through atmospheric pathways, concluding that air represents a major but understudied route of human exposure and environmental dispersal requiring integration into plastic pollution models.

2020 Sustainability 113 citations