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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Modeling the Gravitational Settling of Microplastic Fibers in the Atmosphere
ClearGravitational 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 data shows that fiber-shaped microplastics travel differently through the atmosphere than spherical particles, which matters for understanding how microplastics spread globally.
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.
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.
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.
Microplastic shape affects travel distance
Researchers found that microplastic shape significantly influences atmospheric transport distance, with fibre and complex-shaped particles travelling farther than spherical ones assumed in most models, helping explain the detection of microplastics in remote locations such as Antarctica and Mount Fuji.
Synthetic fibers in atmospheric fallout: A source of microplastics in the environment?
Researchers found synthetic fibers in atmospheric fallout collected across a study region, demonstrating that airborne transport is a pathway for microplastic fiber deposition even in areas distant from direct plastic sources.
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.
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.
Twist, turn and encounter: the trajectories of small atmospheric particles unravelled
This study used trajectory modeling to trace the movement of small atmospheric particles including microplastics, uncovering complex transport pathways driven by turbulence, wind patterns, and particle size interactions.
A mechanistic approach to evaluating atmospheric deposition of micro- and nanoplastic particles
This study developed a theoretical framework to better understand how microplastic and nanoplastic particles move through the atmosphere and deposit onto land and water surfaces via wet and dry deposition. By drawing on knowledge from how other aerosols like mineral dust behave, the researchers identified key physical processes — including particle size, shape, and density — that govern how far microplastics travel and where they land. The work is important for modeling the global spread of microplastic pollution, including to remote regions far from pollution sources.
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.
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.
Sources and fate of atmospheric microplastics revealed from inverse and dispersion modelling: From global emissions to deposition
Researchers combined atmospheric observations and inverse modeling to estimate global microplastic emissions at 9.6 megatons per year, then used dispersion modeling to trace sources and deposition patterns from emissions to atmospheric fallout worldwide.
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.
"modeling the Dispersion of Microplastic Particle Concentration in the Atmosphere for Waste Management Facilities"
Researchers developed modeling approaches for simulating microplastic particle dispersion in the atmosphere around waste management facilities, identifying that traditional advection-diffusion models require adaptation to account for gravitational settling, particle coagulation, and the complex influence of particle density, shape, and size.
Atmospheric Resuspension of Microplastics from Bare Soil Regions
Researchers developed a method to estimate how microplastics get lifted from bare soil into the atmosphere along with mineral dust, then modeled their global transport and deposition. They found that this soil-based resuspension is a meaningful source of atmospheric microplastics, with fiber-shaped particles traveling significantly farther than spherical ones. The study suggests that dust storms and wind erosion from agricultural and arid lands may be an underappreciated pathway for spreading microplastic contamination worldwide.