{"id":37725,"date":"2023-09-27T15:17:43","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T14:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=37725"},"modified":"2023-09-27T15:17:43","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T14:17:43","slug":"how-do-airborne-microplastics-contribute-to-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/how-do-airborne-microplastics-contribute-to-climate-change\/37725\/","title":{"rendered":"How do airborne microplastics contribute to climate change?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Airborne microplastics are present in clouds, which contaminate nearly everything we eat and drink via \u2018plastic rainfall\u2019.<\/p>\n
Whilst most microplastic studies have focused on aquatic ecosystems, few have examined their impact on cloud formation and climate change.<\/p>\n
The first-of-its-kind study, \u2018Airborne hydrophilic microplastics in cloud water at high altitudes and their role in cloud formation<\/a>,\u2019 is published in Environmental Chemistry Letters<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cAirborne microplastics in the free troposphere are transported and contribute to global pollution.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the issue of plastic air pollution is not addressed proactively, climate change and ecological risks may become a reality, causing irreversible and serious environmental damage in the future,\u201d explained Hiroshi Okoch, a professor at Waseda University and lead author of the study.<\/p>\n Microplastics are less than 5mm in size. These tiny bits of plastic are often found in industrial effluents or form from the degradation of bulkier plastic waste.<\/p>\n Research shows that large amounts of microplastics are ingested or inhaled by humans and animals and have been detected in multiple organs such as the lungs, heart, blood, and placenta.<\/p>\n Ten million tons of these plastic bits end up in the ocean, are released with ocean spray, and find their way into the atmosphere, creating harmful airborne microplastics.<\/p>\n To investigate the role of airborne microplastics in the troposphere and the atmospheric boundary layer, the team collected cloud water from the summit of Mount Fuji, the south-eastern foothills of Mt. Fuji (Tarobo), and the summit of Mt. Oyama \u2013 regions at altitudes ranging between 1300-3776 metres.<\/p>\nWhy should we study airborne microplastics?<\/h3>\n
Projections for future impacts on climate change<\/a><\/h3>\n