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Global climate change poses a threat not only to the environment, but also to our health and our habitats. However, scientists have recently discovered one of the possible causes of its onset, which has already penetrated millions of people.
A new study by scientists has found that microplastics found in the air can change the formation of clouds, potentially affecting the weather and climate. Clouds form when water vapor sticks to air particles, often dust, to form ice crystals or water droplets. But scientists have found that microplastic particles can serve a similar purpose, promoting the formation of ice crystals at temperatures that are much warmer than normal — up to 10 degrees Celsius higher than in clouds without microplastics, writes The Conversation.
Conclusion published in the journal ACS EST Air, allowed scientists to suggest that clouds can form in conditions in which they do not normally form, which can lead to a change in the nature of precipitation. The research focuses on the process of nucleation, a natural phenomenon in the atmosphere when water vapor turns into ice upon contact with solid particles. While mineral dust and biological particles such as pollen traditionally contribute to nucleation, microplastics, which are less than five millimeters in size and widely distributed around the world, are proving to be equally effective in this role, says Miriam Friedman, professor of chemistry at Penn State University.
The researchers tested four common plastics, including low-density polyethylene and polypropylene, and noticed that half of the droplets that contained microplastics froze at temperatures of -22 degrees Celsius. Exposure to environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation, ozone, and acids affected ice nucleation but did not eliminate it, suggesting that even chemically altered microplastics can affect cloud composition. These clouds play an important role in regulating the Earth's climate by reflecting sunlight and trapping heat.
The ratio of liquid to icy particles in clouds affects how much sunlight is reflected back into space or absorbed, affecting Earth's temperature balance. An increase in ice particles due to the presence of microplastics can alter this balance, potentially altering the cooling and warming effects of clouds. Thus, microplastics can introduce additional uncertainty into meteorological indicators, as they can contribute to the formation of more icy clouds, affecting both precipitation and heat regulation.
Scientists emphasize that in order to understand the concentration of microplastics in the atmospheric layers where clouds are formed, further studies of this phenomenon are necessary. They also need data comparing levels of microplastics with levels of other ice-forming particles, such as mineral dust and biological materials. The ability to accurately model the impact of microplastics will depend on a better understanding of its abundance and distribution in the atmosphere.
Microplastic pollution is, unfortunately, ubiquitous and is found even in such remote places as Antarctica and Mount Everest, reflecting the extent of its spread in our planet's atmosphere. These particles enter our everyday environment, including the air we breathe and the food we eat, raising questions about both their ecological and potential negative effects on our health.
