It’s hazardous to know that microplastics covering areas are increasing with the passing days. It is found everywhere on the planet earth whether on mountains, snows, depth of seas or in the air. Research has been published in the journal of Environmental Science and Technology letters stating that tiny particles of plastic may have a role in the formation of clouds.
These tiny pieces of plastic which are called microplastics are smaller than 5 millimeters in size, which can be created from a variety of objects everyday which includes clothes, packaging car tyres etc. The research was not just about the presence of the tiny particles in the atmosphere but also talks about the role it plays in cloud formation.
The particles were made using Polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene and polyamide. Most of these plastics were 100 micrometers long but some were 1500 micrometers long.As per researchers the particles that were older, rougher and had more lead, mercury, and oxygen attached to their surfaces aided cloud formation.
To determine the origin of the particles Wang and his colleagues invented a computer model that mimicked how the particles travel in the cloud to Mount Tai. These models suggested that the air doesn’t flow from over the ocean or nearby mountains which serves as a source of fragrance, rather it flows from highly populated inland areas.
The researchers have demonstrated in the laboratory experiments that the tiny plastics exposed to clouds like ultraviolet light and filtered cloud-sourced water — had smaller sizes and rougher surfaces than those exposed to pure water or air.
Furthermore, the particles impacted by the cloud-like conditions had more lead, mercury and oxygen-containing groups. These results suggest that clouds modify microplastics in ways that could enable the particles to affect cloud formation and the fate of airborne metals. In conclusion, the researchers said it needs more work to fully understand how microplastics affect clouds and the weather.
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