HALKWEBWorldScientists find microplastics in 'clouds' for the first time

Scientists find microplastics in ‘clouds’ for the first time

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to detect microplastics in cloud water particles and air, both in the free troposphere and in the boundary layer of the atmosphere,” the Japanese scientists wrote.

Scientists in Japan have found micro-plastic fragments in clouds for the first time in their research. According to experts, this may be one of the factors that trigger the climate crisis and increase global warming.

Japanese scientists have found plastic and other polymer materials in water particles around clouds in their research on Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama, the country's highest point.

According to research published in the academic journal Environmental Chemical Letters, the available evidence suggests that plastic pollution is leaking into most of the world's ecosystems much more than previously thought.

To date, hundreds of scientific studies have been conducted worldwide on plastic and micro plastic pollution. The available data is quite frightening. Pieces of plastic smaller than 5 mm (about the size of a sesame seed) were found in the blood, lungs and most intimate parts of the human body, including the uterus of pregnant women living in the most remote regions of the planet.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to detect microplastics in cloud water particles and air, both in the free troposphere and in the boundary layer of the atmosphere,” the Japanese scientists wrote.

Experts say that this study is not only unusual, but also worrying.

There are pieces of plastic in the clouds between 7 and 95 micrometers in size!

The study in Japan collected samples from clouds around the country's peak Mount Fuji, which is 3,776 meters high, and Mount Oyama, which is 1,300 meters high. Mount Fuji is located in the troposphere and Mount Oyama in the atmospheric boundary layer. The summits of both of these mountains are in the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere.

Using sophisticated methods, Japanese scientists have imaged water particles in clouds to see if they contain foreign matter.

In the studies, nine different polymer substances and micro plastics were found in the clouds. Accordingly, plastics ranging in size from 7 to 95 micrometers (millionths of a meter) were found in each liter of water. For comparison, these numbers are quite high. Because the average width of a human hair is 80 micrometers.

Experts state that the structure of plastics is ‘hydrophobic’, which does not like water, but after prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, they become hydrophilic (water-loving).

Plastics were found quite densely in some parts of the water masses in the clouds. Experts attribute this to the condensation of ice and water cores in clouds and the resulting movement of plastic particles.

The small particles in the atmosphere where water vapor condenses are called condensation nuclei. Condensation nuclei are one of the basic structures for clouds to form.

“Overall, our findings suggest that microplastics at high altitude can influence cloud formation and thus change the climate,” the Japanese scientists wrote in the study.

“Microplastics in the free troposphere are moving and contributing to plastic pollution on a global scale,” said Hiroshi Okochi, a lecturer at Waseda University and lead author of the study:

”If the issue of airborne plastic pollution is not addressed much more seriously, climate change and ecological risks could become a reality, causing irreversible and severe environmental damage in the future.”

How do microplastics get into the clouds?

It is almost impossible to prevent the spread of microplastics into the environment because plastics, which are polymer materials used in many areas of daily life, from plastic bags, plastic cups, food packaging, sneakers, tires of cars, are everywhere.

The potential sources of plastic pollution are therefore too numerous to count. Japanese experts agree that plastics have become very popular in industry because they are cheap and long-lasting, and that this problem is not being given enough attention globally.

Although there have been numerous studies on the leaching of these tiny plastic particles into marine and terrestrial environments, research on airborne microplastics has so far been very limited.

From the wear and tear of car tires to the daily use of polyester-containing clothing, from plastic shoe soles to friction on artificial turf in astroturf fields, microplastics can be released into the air in many different ways.

Pieces of plastic in the oceans and seas can also mix with the air by changing the environment under the influence of waves and winds.

The ocean can also send its microplastics into the sky through sea spray and other “aerosolization processes” where particles are made light enough to be airborne.

According to research from Waseda University, this means that microplastics in the atmosphere may have become a major component of clouds, polluting almost everything we breathe, eat and drink through ‘plastic rain’.

The wind blowing in the free troposphere is strong and fast. In these regions, pollution-causing impurities (plastics) can travel long distances. The research results clearly show that microplastics gain great mobility in the free troposphere and contribute to pollution on a global scale.

 

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