A new study by an international team of experts showed that plastic "dust" in the atmosphere contributes a large proportion to the pollution of the seas and oceans, and the team called for the establishment of a monitoring network to monitor the impact of airborne plastic pollution over the oceans, stressing that winds can carry particles to some farther The Earth corners faster than ocean currents or rivers.

According to the study recently published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment Journal, small and nanoparticles of plastic are scattered everywhere around the earth in the soil, oceans and atmosphere as well, and they are present in the most remote places that have remained Now relatively far from the influence of human activity as the regions of the North and South Poles.

Microplastics (blue) under the microscope (Cornell University)

How do plastic particles enter the atmosphere?

The world produces more than 300 million tons of plastic annually, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and nearly half of that is used to make single-use items like shopping bags and mugs.

Under the influence of solar ultraviolet rays, wind, currents and other natural factors, plastic is divided into small particles called microplastics, which are particles no more than 5 millimeters in size, and microscopic ones called nanoplastics with a size of less than 100 nanometers (1 nanometer equals one billionth part). of metre).

Its small size facilitates its spread in the atmosphere and its transmission by wind to almost all regions of the world.

According to a press release from the German Potsdam Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, the 33-member team of experts estimates that every year up to 25 million tons of micro and nanoplastics are transported through the atmosphere, in addition to large amounts of particles that are also transported through the environment. Marine spray, as sea spray, wind and waves on polluted beaches form air bubbles in the water that envelop microplastics.

These particles are subsequently released into the atmosphere when the bubbles burst;

The authors therefore believe that the transport of microplastics to remote and polar regions results from a combination of air and sea transport.

Air is a more dynamic medium for the transport of fine particles of plastic (University of Utah)

Repercussions on the environment and humans

The results of the study indicate that air is a more dynamic medium than water;

This facilitates the transport of micro and nanoplastics to areas of the planet that have been - relatively - untouched by the effects of human activity. Microplastics can affect the climate and the health of ecosystems;

The deposition of dark particles on snow and ice, for example, reduces the reflection of solar radiation, and thus causes snow and ice to melt.

Dark ocean surfaces, in turn, absorb more solar energy, further heating the oceans.

Microplastics in the atmosphere can also act as condensation nuclei for water vapor, affecting cloud formation and long-term climate.

The presence of micro and nanoplastics in the air also affects human health;

In a recent British study, microplastic particles were discovered inside the lungs of 11 out of every 13 living people.

Experts suggest establishing a system to monitor plastic particles in the atmosphere (pixels)

monitoring strategy

All of these implications make it important, according to the researchers, to understand the interactions between the atmosphere and oceans in order to determine the size and quantity of microplastic particles transported by these means.

Therefore, the team of researchers in this study - which included experts in the atmosphere, ocean sciences and plastic pollution - developed a strategy to determine the future trends of the global and marine plastics cycle.

This strategy - according to a press release from the University of "Stratclyde in Glasgow" - is based on creating a scientific system that provides a coherent and comparable data set that will enable the monitoring of the concentration of micro and nanoplastic particles in the atmosphere.

The proposed strategy will enable us - according to experts - as well as to quantify the micro- and nano-plastic flows in the oceans and atmosphere;

It can help prevent its risks and provide more effective management of plastic pollution.