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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Constraining the atmospheric limb of the plastic cycle
ClearMicroplastics 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.
Global atmospheric distribution of microplastics with evidence of low oceanic emissions
This study used atmospheric modeling to estimate the global distribution of airborne microplastics, finding that land-based sources like roads, agriculture, and cities contribute far more to atmospheric microplastics than ocean emissions. The model, validated against real-world observations, suggests that ocean contributions are about 10,000 times lower than previously estimated. Understanding where airborne microplastics come from is important because inhalation is a major route of human exposure.
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.
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.
Plastic dust in the wind
A research summary reports that the majority of airborne microplastics come not from the ocean but from road dust and other land-based sources, based on atmospheric sampling and transport modeling. This finding shifts attention to terrestrial sources of airborne plastic particles that people breathe every day.
Atmospheric Microplastic Transport
This review examines atmospheric transport of microplastics, covering emission sources including roads and oceans, the meteorological and particle-characteristic factors influencing transport and deposition, and the cycles by which microplastics are redistributed to remote environments including high-altitude and polar regions.
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.
Resuspension of microplastic particles from arid regions and global impacts on atmospheric concentrations and deposition
Researchers modeled how microplastics from arid and semi-arid regions are resuspended by wind and transported globally through the atmosphere. The simulations showed that desert regions can be significant secondary sources of airborne microplastic particles, contributing to plastic deposition even in remote ecosystems far from human activity.
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.
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.
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.
Exponential decrease of airborne microplastics: From megacity to open ocean
Researchers measured atmospheric microplastics across the western Pacific Ocean and found concentrations decreased exponentially with distance from megacity sources, confirming that atmospheric transport is a major pathway for microplastics entering the open ocean.
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.
Spatio-temporal inversion of atmospheric microplastics emmisions using block-coordinate descent method
Researchers developed an inversion modeling method to estimate where airborne microplastics originate based on deposition measurements collected across the western United States. The spatial optimization approach identified likely emission hotspots over broad geographic areas. Better source attribution of atmospheric microplastics can guide pollution reduction strategies for wind-transported plastic particles.
Deposition of Roadside Atmospheric Non-Tire Wear Microplastics: Characteristics and Influencing Factors
A year-long roadside study measured the atmospheric deposition of microplastics in two size fractions, finding deposition rates of 3–9 million particles per hectare per month for larger particles and identifying polymers including PP, PE, PS, PVC, PET, and nylon. Traffic was the dominant source of larger particles near the road, while wind patterns dispersed smaller particles more broadly from industrial sources. Roads are a major but underappreciated source of airborne microplastic deposition into surrounding soils and waterways, and this study quantifies that contribution with new precision.
Modelling the Potential Long-Range Dispersion of Atmospheric Microplastics Reaching a Remote Site
Researchers used the Lagrangian particle dispersion model MILORD in backward mode to investigate long-range atmospheric transport of microplastics reaching a remote site, identifying potential source areas for airborne microplastics. The study demonstrates that long-range transport contributes significantly to microplastic deposition at locations far from plastic sources.
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.
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.
Atmospheric microplastic emissions from land and ocean
Researchers quantified atmospheric microplastic emissions from both land and ocean surfaces, finding that re-suspension of deposited plastics from land and sea spray from the ocean are significant sources of airborne particles. The results highlight that the ocean is not just a sink but also a source of airborne microplastics.
A global atmospheric microplastics dataset and model-assisted insights into their atmospheric emissions
Scientists created the first global map of tiny plastic particles floating in our air and found they're everywhere—even in remote areas far from cities. These microscopic plastic bits can travel huge distances through the atmosphere and may pose health risks because they can carry harmful chemicals into our lungs when we breathe. The research shows that most airborne microplastics come from land-based sources rather than the ocean, helping us better understand how plastic pollution spreads around the planet.
Is atmospheric pathway a significant contributor to microplastics in the marine environment?
Researchers reviewed evidence for atmospheric transport of microplastics to and from marine environments, finding that wind-driven processes like sand storms, bubble bursts, and sea spray can eject microplastics from ocean surfaces into aerosols, making the atmosphere a significant but understudied pathway in the marine microplastic cycle.
Characterization of Microplastics in the Atmosphere
This study measured microplastic concentrations in the atmosphere using active and passive sampling to understand airborne transport pathways. Given that inhaling airborne microplastics is an underappreciated human exposure route, characterizing atmospheric plastic levels and transport is important for estimating total human exposure.
Global microplastic emission and deposition fluxes at the ocean-atmosphere interface
This study used bottom-up modeling to estimate how microplastics move between the ocean surface and the atmosphere at a global scale. The findings suggest ocean surfaces are both a source and sink for airborne microplastics, helping explain how plastics cycle through Earth's major environmental systems.
A mass budget and box model of global plastics cycling, fragmentation and dispersal in the land-ocean-atmosphere system
Researchers constructed a global mass budget and box model tracking plastic polymer flows from production through fragmentation into microplastics across land, ocean, and atmosphere. The model suggests ocean microplastic stocks are much larger than surface measurements indicate, and that atmospheric transport plays a significant role in redistribution of marine-derived microplastics.