Microplastics in the air suggest that they can affect time

2023/11/15 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena
• Klima

By analyzing the clouds above Mount Tai in China, researchers have shown that they contain microplastics that, using mathematical models, are able to produce clouds and therefore influence time.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Science &Technology Letters. During the work, the results of the analyses were given. Among other factors, it has been determined that microplastics are more abundant in dense clouds at low altitude, most of them being the most common polymers and less than 100 microns. Older particles, on the other hand, contain more lead, mercury and added oxygen in the skin, which are the ones with the highest capacity to produce clouds, according to researchers.

To reach this conclusion, laboratory experiments have been performed and computer models have been used to analyze the path of microplastics. According to them, the typical origin of microplastics are populated areas of dry land, not so much the sea as other nearby mountains.

Researchers have recognized that further research is needed on how microplastics influence cloud formation and time.