<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/16/microplastic-pollution-changing-weather-climate>
"Air, water, soil, food and even blood – microplastics have found their way
virtually everywhere on Earth, and now that list includes clouds.
Bits of plastic particles were recently discovered above eastern China, with
new research showing that these microplastics could influence cloud formation
and the weather.
A group of scientists from Shandong University in China collected cloud water
atop Mount Tai, finding microplastics in 24 out of 28 samples. They include
polyethylene terephthalate (otherwise known as PET), polypropylene,
polyethylene and polystyrene, all particles commonly found in synthetic fibers,
clothing and textiles, as well as packaging and face masks.
“This finding provides significant evidence of the presence of abundant MP’s
[microplastics] in clouds,” the researchers stated in the paper published today
in
Environmental Science and Technology Letters.
Earlier this year, a study out of Japan showed that microplastics were present
at the peak of Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama, suggesting that the particles may
have originated from plastics in the ocean and been transported via air masses.
The concentration of microplastics in Mount Tai cloud water was up to 70 times
that of Japan’s mountains’ cloud water.
“Most pollution we tend to think of is in liquid form,” said Fay Couceiro, a
professor of environmental pollution at the University of Portsmouth. “We tend
to think of that going into the river and the sea. Whereas microplastics,
because they are a physical particle, are not following the normal rules. We’re
finding microplastics in these pristine environments at the tops of these
extremely hard-to-reach mountains.”
So, how are they getting there?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
