Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Aerosol mass concentrations and dry/wet deposition of atmospheric microplastics at a remote coastal location in New Zealand

Researchers quantified airborne microplastic concentrations at a remote coastal site in southern New Zealand using both active and passive sampling methods. They found plastics comprised at least 0.14% of total suspended particulate mass, with air trajectory analysis suggesting the Southern Ocean as a source. The study indicates that counting microplastics by number alone may significantly underestimate true atmospheric plastic pollution, since the smallest and most abundant particles escape microscopic detection.

2025 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying Atmospheric Deposition of Microplastics in Urban and Suburban O'ahu

Researchers quantified atmospheric deposition of microplastics across urban and suburban sites on O'ahu, Hawaii, characterising deposition rates and particle composition to assess airborne microplastic transport in a Pacific island environment.

2025 ScholarSpace (University of Hawaii at Manoa)
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric deposition of microplastics: a sampling and analytical method including the associated measurement uncertainties

Researchers developed a tailored analytical chain for atmospheric microplastic sampling — including collection, processing, and optical microscopy-based analysis — and applied it to quantify atmospheric deposition of microplastics and assess the atmosphere as a vector of global microplastic distribution.

2025
Article Tier 2

A fluorescence approach for an online measurement technique of atmospheric microplastics

Researchers developed a fluorescence-based approach for online, real-time detection of individual atmospheric microplastic particles, addressing the current gap in monitoring sources, transport, and abundance of airborne MPs.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric microplastic deposition in an urban environment and an evaluation of transport

Researchers measured microplastic deposition in central London and found contamination in all samples, with rates ranging from 575 to 1,008 particles per square meter per day. Fibrous microplastics made up 92% of the particles, and 15 different polymer types were identified. Wind analysis revealed different source areas for fibrous and non-fibrous airborne microplastics, providing the first evidence that the atmosphere is a significant pathway for microplastic pollution in urban areas.

2019 Environment International 1094 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristic of microplastics in the atmospheric fallout from Dongguan city, China: preliminary research and first evidence

Researchers characterized microplastics in atmospheric fallout collected in Dongguan City, China, finding that airborne microplastics are deposited daily and that urban areas generate significant atmospheric microplastic emissions.

2017 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 912 citations
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric microplastics in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean: Distribution, source, and deposition

Researchers documented atmospheric microplastic distribution in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, finding abundances ranging from 0.0046 to higher levels and identifying sources and deposition patterns that contribute to marine microplastic pollution from airborne transport.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 153 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne microplastic concentrations in remote coastal environments

Researchers measured airborne microplastic concentrations at coastal sites in New Zealand near the Southern Ocean to assess whether sea-spray generates significant atmospheric plastic loads. Microplastics were detected at all coastal sampling locations despite the region's remoteness from plastic production, suggesting marine-to-atmosphere transfer is an important pathway even in pristine coastal environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Quantification and characterization of atmospheric microplastics in a coastal urban area of the city of Lima, Peru

This study quantified and characterized atmospheric microplastic deposition in a coastal urban area of Lima, Peru, finding that microplastics in the air are an emerging but understudied pollution problem in the region. The research addressed a gap in South American data on airborne microplastic behavior and distribution.

2024
Article Tier 2

A preliminary comparison of microplastic type, size, and composition in atmospheric and foliage samples in an urban scenario

Researchers compared microplastic types, sizes, and polymer compositions in atmospheric dry and wet deposition at multiple sites, assessing contributions to ecosystem contamination. The results showed that atmospheric deposition is a significant pathway for microplastic redistribution, particularly to remote areas.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Accurate quantification and transport estimation of suspended atmospheric microplastics in megacities: Implications for human health

Researchers developed an improved sampling methodology for accurately quantifying suspended atmospheric microplastics in megacities. They found a significant relationship between sampling volume and particle counts, and identified that PET fibers and fragments dominated airborne microplastics, with plastic microbeads also detected in air for the first time. Using atmospheric modeling, the study estimated that megacities can transport substantial quantities of airborne microplastics to surrounding regions, with implications for human inhalation exposure.

2019 Environment International 316 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of microplastic present in the atmospheric aerosol of the Port of Veracruz

Researchers identified and characterized microplastics in atmospheric aerosol samples collected at the Port of Veracruz, Mexico, finding diverse polymer types in the air and suggesting that port activities and marine transport contribute to local airborne microplastic pollution.

2024
Article Tier 2

Modelled sources of airborne microplastics collected at a remote Southern Hemisphere site

Researchers measured airborne microplastic deposits at a remote New Zealand mountain site and used a global atmospheric model to trace where the particles came from, finding that sea spray during long-range wind transport was the dominant source. The study also revealed that shorter sampling periods capture 6 times more microplastics than weekly sampling, suggesting previous studies may have significantly underestimated atmospheric microplastic deposition.

2024 Atmospheric Environment 19 citations
Article Tier 2

A preliminary comparison of microplastic type, size, and composition in atmospheric and foliage samples in an urban scenario

Researchers compared microplastic types, sizes, and polymer compositions in atmospheric dry and wet deposition samples from different settings. The study found that atmospheric deposition is a meaningful pathway for microplastic dispersal, with variation in particle characteristics across sites.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Atmospheric deposition of microplastics in the coastal zone: Characteristics and relationship with meteorological factors

Microplastics deposited from the atmosphere were sampled and characterized in a coastal zone, with analysis of meteorological factors including air humidity, wind speed, precipitation, and air mass trajectories. The study found measurable atmospheric microplastic deposition in the coastal environment, with weather patterns influencing deposition rates and particle characteristics.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 258 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne microplastics in Antarctica and New Zealand.

Researchers detected airborne microplastics at two remote sites in Antarctica and New Zealand, including in previously pristine regions far from human habitation. The presence of microplastics in Antarctic air demonstrates that atmospheric transport can carry plastic particles to even the most remote corners of the planet.

2021 University of Canterbury Research Repository (University of Canterbury) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Airborne Microplastic in the Atmospheric Deposition and How to Identify and Quantify the Threat: Semi-Quantitative Approach Based on Kraków Case Study

Researchers developed semi-quantitative methods using ATR-FTIR, Py-GC-MS, and SEM-EDS to identify and characterize airborne microplastics in atmospheric deposition in Krakow, identifying multiple polymer types and tracking their seasonal variation.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Global inventory of atmospheric fibrous microplastics input into the ocean: An implication from the indoor origin

Researchers quantified atmospheric fibrous microplastic transport from land to ocean in the Asia-Pacific region using data from nine ocean cruises between 2018 and 2019, developing a global inventory of atmospheric microplastic input into marine environments. The study concluded that atmospheric deposition is a significant and previously underestimated pathway for inland microplastics to reach the ocean.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 104 citations
Article Tier 2

Status and prospects of atmospheric microplastics: A review of methods, occurrence, composition, source and health risks

This review summarized the sampling methods, occurrence, composition, sources, and health risks of atmospheric microplastics. Researchers found that airborne microplastics are detected both indoors and outdoors, with fibers being the most common shape, and that inhalation represents an important but understudied exposure pathway. The study suggests that atmospheric transport plays a significant role in the global distribution of microplastic pollution.

2022 Environmental Pollution 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Detemination of Airborne Microplastics using LC-MS/MS

Researchers developed and validated an LC-MS/MS method for quantifying airborne microplastics, demonstrating that liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry can provide sensitive and specific identification of plastic polymers in atmospheric particulate samples.

2024
Article Tier 2

Characterization of the Morphological and Chemical Profile of Different Families of Microplastics in Samples of Breathable Air

Researchers characterized the morphological and chemical profiles of airborne microplastics collected from breathable air samples, finding diverse polymer types and particle shapes and examining how these particles are transported through the atmosphere to the air people breathe.

2023 Molecules 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and nanoplastics in the air: a review

This review examines the occurrence, sources, physicochemical characteristics, and sampling and analytical methods for microplastics and nanoplastics in atmospheric air across urban, industrial, coastal, and remote environments. The authors find that fibers and fragments are the dominant atmospheric microplastic forms, that no standardized sampling methods currently exist, and that both passive and active collection approaches are used across the literature with limited comparability.

2025 Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology/Science and Technology
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

Atmospheric deposition of microplastics: a sampling and analytical method including the associated measurement uncertainties

Researchers developed and validated a tailored analytical chain—including sample collection, processing, and FPA-µ-FTIR analysis—for quantifying atmospheric microplastic deposition at particle sizes of 20–215 µm. The protocol enabled reliable measurement of MP fallout rates, supporting studies of the atmosphere as a major MP transport pathway.

2026 Atmospheric measurement techniques 1 citations