Microplastics are defined as debris less than 5 mm in diameter.
Microplastics in the atmosphere affect weather and climate by promoting cloud formation, according to a new study by Penn State scientists published earlier this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology: Air. It is said that it may be giving. The study claims that microplastics act as ice nucleating particles, creating clouds in situations where clouds would not otherwise form. Scientists studied four types of microplastics in the lab by suspending them in tiny water droplets and slowly cooling these droplets to see how microplastics affect ice formation. observed.
“The average temperature at which water droplets freeze was found to be 5 to 10 degrees higher than for water droplets without microplastics,” the study stressed, adding that normally atmospheric water droplets without defects freeze at around -38 degrees Celsius. Ta.
As it turns out, for most plastics studied, 50 percent of microplastic-infected droplets freeze at around minus 22 degrees Celsius, and when something insoluble is introduced into a droplet as a defect, it becomes hotter. They came to the conclusion that it could become an ice core. temperature.
“Now that we have been able to show that cloud formation processes can be caused by microplastics, we need to better understand how they interact with our climate system. It is now clear,” said Professor Miriam Friedman. in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University and senior author on the paper.
In general, clouds affect the environment by reflecting sunlight that enters from the earth’s surface, creating a cooling effect. However, clouds at certain altitudes can help trap energy radiated from the Earth’s surface, which can have a warming effect.
“If microplastics are influencing the formation of multiphase clouds, they are likely influencing the climate as well,” Friedman said. “However, it is currently difficult to model their overall impact. “It’s extremely difficult,” he added.
Also read | Microplastics invade human brains, researchers call for global emergency
Microplastic problem
Microplastics, small pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in size, have been found in nearly every corner of the Earth, from the Mariana Trench to Mount Everest. They are present not only in the human brain, but also in the bellies of deep-sea fish.
Scientists are calling for microplastic pollution to be declared a global emergency, saying it poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of all life on Earth.
