Not only the oceans and our own bodies are full of microplastics: they are now also floating around in the clouds. If we do not combat plastic air pollution, the earth will warm even faster, researchers fear.
Japanese researchers at the Waseda University captured water from clouds from the top of Mounts Fuji, Tarobo and Oyama – ranging between 1300 and almost 4000 meters high (see box). When examining this cloud water, they found nine different types of microplastics and one type of rubber.
Milking clouds
To collect the microplastics from the clouds, the scientists used a collection system in which cloud particles collide very slowly against a small string. When the moist air hits this, the water binds to the string for a short time. Soon the water from the cloud collapses under its own weight and falls down, where it is collected. “Microplastics that “just” blow through the air and are not part of a cloud, are too small for the collection wire and pass through the wire,” says Okochi.
That in itself is not entirely unexpected, says lead researcher Hiroshi Okochi. After all, we know that humans and animals now ingest large amounts of microplastics. It is therefore not surprising that it is also the clouds’ turn. But the way the microplastics end up in the clouds is. The collected microplastics most likely did not just arrive, the researchers say, but are part of the process of creating the clouds.
Cloudmaker
Before a cloud can form, a condensation nucleus is needed: a very fine dust particle floating in the air to which moist, cold air can bind, which then forms clouds, mist or fog. There are various substances that can function as a condensation nucleus. Natural particles such as clay or sand, pollen or salt crystals. But non-natural substances such as soot can also initiate the formation of a cloud. And this now also appears to include microplastics.
And that’s not a good sign. Microplastics break down a lot faster when they are high in the air than on the ground. This is due to the strong ultraviolet radiation at higher altitudes. When broken down, greenhouse gases are released, which in turn contribute to global warming. In addition, plastic waste can contaminate almost everything we eat and drink. Which in turn can lead to even more plastics in our organs, and even possibly to behavioral changes.
Okochi therefore fears that if the problem of ‘plastic air pollution’ is not proactively tackled, the plastic particles in the clouds could cause irreversible and serious environmental damage in the future. To better estimate this, he will conduct further research. “We will now investigate how quickly microplastics cause cloud formation compared to other particles.”
2023-10-07 17:02:22
#literally #raining #plastics #microplastics #clouds #warming #earth #faster
