Microplastics are in the air we breathe & Earth’s atmosphere
Microplastics are found in the most remote places on land and in the ocean as well as in our food. Now several studies around the world have confirmed they are also present in the air we breathe.
In our research, published today, we investigated for the first time how airborne microplastics behave in the atmosphere and whether they contribute to a warming or cooling of Earth’s climate system.
Other types of airborne particles (aerosols) such as dust, sea spray and soot either scatter or absorb sunlight, and as a consequence they cool or warm the climate system. We found microplastics do both.
In this first study to link airborne microplastics and climate change, we highlight just how widespread microplastic pollution is and the potential it has to influence climate on a global scale.
The current concentration of microplastics in the atmosphere is low and they have only a very small influence on global climate at this point. But given projections for a doubling of plastic waste over coming decades, we expect microplastics could have a larger impact on Earth’s climate system, unless we take action to address plastic pollution.
A plastic cycle
Microplastics are tiny fragments or fibers shed during the degradation of larger pieces of plastic. They are light enough to be transported by the wind over large distances.
Recently, researchers have confirmed microplastics in remote mountain catchments, in Arctic snow and in conservation areas. Earlier this year, we reported them in atmospheric fallout collected in New Zealand.
Other studies have shown that once microplastic pollutants enter the ocean, they don’t necessarily remain there but can leave the sea with sea spray and, driven by wind currents, return to the atmosphere.
This has led us to think of a plastic cycle: microplastics don’t stay in soils, rivers, the ocean or air, but move between different parts of the Earth system.
Initially, we expected airborne microplastics would scatter sunlight like most aerosols, which act like tiny disco balls and reflect sunlight back to space. This has a cooling effect on Earth’s climate.
Most types of aerosols in Earth’s atmosphere scatter light—therefore in general, aerosols have partially offset ‘greenhouse gas’ warming in recent decades. One exception is soot (or black carbon), which is good at absorbing sunlight and has a warming effect.
We found that, overall, airborne microplastics are efficient at scattering sunlight, which implies a cooling effect on climate. However, they can also absorb radiation emitted by the Earth, which means they contribute, in a very small way, to the ‘greenhouse effect’.
Microplastic impacts on climate
The highest reported concentrations of airborne microplastics (thousands of fragments per cubic meter of air) were measured at urban sampling sites in London and Beijing.
We don’t know yet how far up into the atmosphere microplastics have reached, but an aircraft-based study found them at altitudes of up to 3.5 kilometers.
This presents additional questions whether microplastics could alter atmospheric chemistry by providing surfaces for chemical reactions to occur on, and how they interact with clouds.
The magnitude of microplastics’ influence on climate varies in our climate model simulations, depending on assumptions we made about how the plastic fragments are distributed throughout Earth’s atmosphere.
Because airborne microplastics research is so new, we had a limited number of studies to inform our research.
Our study shows the influence of microplastics on global climate is currently very small, and a cooling effect dominates. However, we expect it to increase in future, to the point that airborne microplastics exert a climate influence comparable to other types of aerosols.
An estimated 5 billion tons of plastic waste has already accumulated in landfills or the environment to date. This figure is projected to double over the next three decades. Without serious efforts to address microplastic pollution, mismanaged plastic waste will continue to increase the abundance of airborne microplastics, and their influence on the climate in the future.
See more here: phys.org
Header image: Rolling Stone
Bold emphasis added
Editor’s note: The article says microplastics have the potential to change the climate. In other words, there is no evidence they are changing the climate. The article also contradicts itself, by saying microplastics both cool and heat the atmosphere. Which is it?
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Herb Rose
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What a load of crap, probably an effort to get research money by claiming linking something to climate change. It may surprise physc.org but the atmosphere is part of the Earth and absorption or reflection of light in the atmosphere is no different than absorption or reflection by land and water. You’d think something named physic.org wold know something about physics and thermodynamics.
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tom0mason
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“The magnitude of microplastics’ influence on climate varies in our climate model simulations, depending on assumptions we made about how the plastic fragments are distributed throughout Earth’s atmosphere.”
Says it all! More climate model hokum which are tweaked and tuned to give the required output. More hoodoo-voodoo climate seance to 😱 keep the 😱 sheeple alarmed 😱 .
Nothing but utter BS from mere activists.
P.S.
Where is the evidence, the facts and figures, that microplastics are dangerous to life on this planet. Are there any studies, anywhere, that show that microplastics are deleterious to life?
Or is it just more (plastic) straws in the wind imaginative theorizing.
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Andy
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Exactly Tom, that’s why I hightlighted the word ‘assumptions’ 🙂
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T. C. Clark
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Micro air pollution is sufficient to identify large cities by their micro air pollution profile. Micro air pollution requires powerful microscopes to identify….many particles go into your lungs…but don’t come back out. Lead has been found in Greenland ice cores dating to the Roman Empire times….if lead can become airborne…why not plastics?
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Carbon Bigfoot
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My air purifier, my nose, has grown more hairs as I age and despite that, my BOOGERS have not increased in size or frequency. Anecdotal yes, but factual, so no micro-plastics are evident.
And no I don’t eat them like some people do!!!
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