According to estimates, by 2040 the level of plastic pollution could reach 80 million tons a year. Plastic particles are now found in almost all natural fields, e.g. in water, soil and air. By means of ocean currents and rivers, small plastic particles can reach even the depths of the Arctic, Antarctic or ocean. New studies have now shown that air, in turn, can transport these particles over long distances – and much faster than water can: in space, they can travel from the farthest corners of the planet in matter of days.
In the journal Nature Reviews Earth and Environment, a team of international researchers – including experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam, and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel – explain how microplastic finds its way into space and how it is transported later.including experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, the Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam (IASS) and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel.
“Wind is a much stronger force than water,” said AWI co-author Dr Melanie Bergmann. “As a result, micro- and nanoplastic can penetrate very quickly into those parts of our planet that are far away and untouched.” Once they arrive, the particles may contribute to the overgrowth and the natural health of the area. For example, when these black particles are exposed to ice and ice, they affect the ice-albedo reaction, reducing their ability to reflect sunlight and promoting melting. Similarly, dark areas of ocean water absorb more solar energy, further maintaining ocean warming. Also in the atmosphere, tiny plastic particles can act as condensation nuclei of water vapor, producing effects on cloud formation, and, in time, climate.
How do plastic particles get into space?
First, by human activities Particles produced by road tires and brakes, or industrial gases, ascend into the atmosphere, where they are carried by the wind. However, according to the observational study, there is also evidence to suggest that a large number of these particles are transported by the marine environment. Preliminary analysis shows that microplastic from the coastal area also enters the ocean with eroded coastal sand. The combination of ocean spray, wind and waves creates microscopic air bubbles in the water containing microplastic. When the bubbles explode, the particles find their way into the atmosphere. Therefore, migration to even remote areas may be due to a combination of space and maritime transport.
Therefore, it is important to understand the interaction between space and the sea, in order to determine which particle sizes are transported, and what amounts. The atmosphere is highly conducive to the formation of tiny particles of plastic, making it the fastest way to transport large amounts of biodiversity. As Melanie Bergmann explains: “We need to incorporate micro- and nanoplastic into our air pollution estimates, ideally on an international scale as part of global networks” For this purpose, in the first step, the original author Deonie Allen and Bergmann began collecting microplastic samples from air, sea and ice during Polarstern’s trip to the Arctic last year.
Combining energy to hold a microplastic cycle
Understanding and separating microplastic cycles between oceans and the atmosphere will require concerted efforts. In this regard, in a study, a team of researchers led by the original authors Deonie Allen and Steve Allen of the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, outlines a global strategy for creating a seamless, comparable site for micro- and nanoplastic flow between the ocean and the atmosphere. “There are many aspects of greenhouse gas, transport and microplastic effects in space that we still do not fully understand,” said co-author Prof Tim Butler of IASS. “This book presents the gaps in our knowledge – and provides a guide for the future.”
Two volunteer working groups from the Joint Specialists in Marine Biodiversity Sciences (GESAMP) prepared the study. According to fellow research author and GESAMP member Prof Sylvia Sander of GEOMAR: “Research makes it clear that a complete understanding of the ocean, as well as the effects of human influence on it, can only be achieved by communications researchers and their data. , we must pursue answers to difficult questions with as much technology and global reach as possible. That can only be done through collaboration. ” GESAMP is a coalition of eleven organizations under the auspices of the United Nations. Its goal is to achieve a wide range of understanding, based on the science of the marine environment. To date, the network has already collaborated with more than 500 experts from around the world on a series of questionnaires.
Micro- and nanoplastic air is also essential for human health. In a recent British study, microplastic was found in the lungs of 11 of 13 living people. “This is another reason why we need to include plastic in air quality monitoring systems,” Bergmann emphasized. In order to reduce the pollution from the plastic, the production of new plastic will need to be reduced and respectively on the basis of an international agreement, as Bergmann and other experts recently called it in a book he wrote for the journal Science.
Source Journal Reference: Deonie Allen, Steve Allen, Sajjad Abbasi, Alex Baker, Melanie Bergmann, Janice Brahney, Tim Butler, Robert A. Duce, Sabine Eckhardt, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Tim Jickells, Maria Kanakidou, Peter Kershaw, Paolo Laj, Joseph Levermore, Daoji Li, Peter Liss, Kai Liu, Natalie Mahowald, Pere Masque, Dušan Materić, Andrew G. Mayes, Paul McGinnity, Iolanda Osvath, Kimberly A. Prather, Joseph M. Prospero, Laura E. Revell, Sylvia G. Sander, Won Joon Shim, Jonathan Slade, Ariel Stein, Oksana Tarasova, Stephanie Wright. Microplastics and nanoplastics in the marine-atmosphere environment. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s43017-022-00292-x
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