Microplastic Particles Contain Ice Nucleation Sites That Can Be Inhibited by Atmospheric Aging.

ABSTRACT: Recent research has shown that microplastics are widespread in the atmosphere. However, we know little about their ability to nucleate ice and their impact on ice formation in clouds. Ice nucleation by microplastics could also limit their long-range transport and global distribution. The present study explores the heterogeneous ice-nucleating ability of seven microplastic samples in immersion freezing mode. Two polypropylene samples and one polyethylene terephthalate sample froze heterogeneously with median freezing temperatures of -20.9, -23.2, and -21.9 °C, respectively. The number of ice nucleation sites per surface area, n_s(T), ranged from 10^-1 to 10⁴ cm^-2 in a temperature interval of -15 to -25 °C, which is comparable to that o

SUBMITTER: Seifried TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11375776 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature