Exploring the Transport Path of Oceanic Microplastics in the Atmosphere.

ABSTRACT: Microplastics (MP) have been recognized as an emerging atmospheric pollutant, yet uncertainties persist in their emissions and concentrations. With a bottom-up approach, we estimate 6-hourly MP fluxes at the ocean-atmosphere interface, using as an input the monthly ocean surface MP concentrations simulated by the global oceanic model (NEMO/PISCES-PLASTIC, Nucleus for European Modeling of the Ocean, Pelagic Interaction Scheme for Carbon and Ecosystem Studies), a size distribution estimate for the MP in the micrometer range, and a sea salt emission scheme. The atmospheric dispersion is then simulated with the Lagrangian model FLEXPART. We identify hotspot sources in the tropical regions and highlight the seasonal variability of emissions, atmospheric concentrations, and deposition fluxes bot

SUBMITTER: Bucci S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11325545 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature