Microplastics, which are less than 5 mm in size, are the basis for a new atmospheric science studying plastics so small they can be lofted up into the clouds. Sources of microplastics include cosmetics, fertilizers, tires, fishing netting, artificial turf fillers, and synthetics.

Scientists like Yan Wang et al from the Beijing University of Science have studied the clouds and concluded that tiny of bits of plastic from cities and were affecting the environment of Mt. Tai, in China.

To make rain, dust particles are coated with droplets of water; are then frozen, and fall as rain after melting. Scientists are discovering microplastics can be used in the place of dust particles in the same cycle. However, microplastics can accelerate it because they actively attract water.

Heidi Busse, a graduate student from Penn State has shown that ice crystals based on microplastics can form at temperatures 5 to 10 degrees Celsius warmer, than those based on dust. Then, the sequence can start sooner, plus at a higher temperature for microplastics. In this scenario, clouds take longer to form, most importantly, there is a possibility it might mean larger clouds and heavier rainfall.

In Penn State News, senior professor of chemistry, Dr. Miriam Freedman, explains that “When you have more droplets, you get less rain, but because droplets only rain once they get large enough, you collect more total water in the cloud before the droplets are large enough to fall and, as a result, you get heavier rainfall when it comes.” 

In 2017, US scientist Janice Brahney, was looking for increases in algae-forming phosphorus in remote areas. She found that microplastics were more widespread than most would guess. Then, since she could not get funding to follow up these leads, she did credible research into microplastics on her own time, without being paid for it. Later, in an article in Science, she wrote that microplastics could travel long distances before turning into rain or snow.

It has also been shown that microplastics have also made their way into our own diet. In a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Raffaele Marfella et al, has shown that microplastics were detected in the plaque in veins of people who had cardiac problems.

In the animal world, seabirds seem to be particularly vulnerable to plastic pollution. Plasticosis, as it has now been called, involves plastic ingestion, causing damage to the stomach, scar tissue, and eventual death. Particularly, plasticosis starves birds who already have plastic-filled stomachs. So, plastic can be as lethal as asbestos.

Sources

Microplastics could trigger cloud formation and affect the weather, new study suggests. (2023, November 15). CNN: Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/15/weather/microplastic-pollution-weather-study-climate/index.html

Scientists race to study microplastic pollution in the atmosphere: Microplastic pollution has likely been traveling in the atmosphere for decades. Researchers want better tools to study its effects on climate, ecology, and human health. C&EN: Chemical & Engineering News. Volume 100, Issue 7. February 20, 2022. https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Scientists-race-study-microplastic-pollution/100/i7

Microplastics impact cloud formation, likely affecting weather and climate: New research led by Penn State scientists reveals that microplastics in the atmosphere could be affecting weather and climate. Penn State News: The Pennsylvania State University. (2024, November 7).  https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/microplastics-impact-cloud-formation-likely-affecting-weather-and-climate

Plastic pollution is changing entire Earth system, scientists find: Pollution is affecting the climate, biodiversity, ecosystems, ocean acidification and human health, according to analysis. The Guardian. (2024, November 7). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/07/plastic-pollution-is-changing-entire-earth-system-scientists-find

Plastic rain in protected areas of the United States. Science: American Association for the Advancement of Science. Volume 368, Issue 6496. June 12, 2020. pp. 1257-1260. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaz5819

Microplastics promote cloud formation, with likely effects on weather and climate. The Conversation. (2024, November 7). https://theconversation.com/microplastics-promote-cloud-formation-with-likely-effects-on-weather-and-climate-240192