You might think of the ocean when you hear about microplastics, but these tiny particles are also floating in the air, even in the far-off Arctic.
A team from Germany and Norway, led by Dr. Barbara Scholz-Böttcher, found this surprising fact during their study.
The researchers went on an expedition along the Norwegian coast, reaching as far as Bear Island, a remote part of the Arctic.
Using two special devices that sucked in air, they gathered samples from 12 meters above sea level. What they found was surprising: the air was filled with different kinds of plastics.
Using a technique called pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, the team could tell what types of plastics were in each sample.
They found everything from common plastics used in clothes to particles that come off car tires!
The results? Everywhere they looked, there were plastics. The highest concentration had up to 37.5 billionths of a gram in just one cubic meter of air.
Isabel Goßmann, one of the study’s main researchers, emphasized that these microplastics are found everywhere, even in the most untouched places on Earth.
Where Are These Particles Coming From?
While many of these microplastics start on land, they don’t stay there.
Some get whisked into the air from the ocean during storms or when waves crash and create sea spray. Others come from ships, which sometimes use paints and coatings that shed microplastics.
Interestingly, not only do these particles end up in the ocean from the land, but they also make the reverse journey. Rain can wash them out of the air and back onto the ground or into the seas.
It’s clear that the problem of microplastics isn’t just in our oceans. They’re everywhere, even in the air we breathe.
While more research is needed, this study is a stark reminder of the footprint humans leave on even the most remote parts of our planet.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
