Microplastics Found in Clouds on Mount Fuji: A Threat to Climate and Environment
When it rains, it pours … microplastics, that is.
Researchers in Japan have discovered nine kinds of polymers and one rubber floating among the clouds — a worrying sign for the climate.
Collecting Samples from Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama
Intrepid teams of scientists climbed Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama to collect water from the foggy mist that veils the mountain tops.
Their samples were then brought to labs where advanced computer imaging parsed the physical and chemical properties of the cloud-derived water.
High Concentration of Microplastics in Cloud Water
Each liter of water they collected held between 6.7 to 13.9 pieces of plastic, which measured from 7.1 micrometers up to 94.6 micrometers, or about the diameter of a human hair.
Their study, published in Environmental Chemistry Letters, also raised concerns about the abundance of hydrophilic polymers, which capture and hold water.
Implications for Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases
Researchers say these water-absorbing plastics may play an outsized role in the weather, while UV radiation from the sun breaks down the bonds of these toxic polymers, thus contributing to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
“If the issue of ‘plastic air pollution’ is not addressed proactively, climate change and ecological risks may become a reality, causing irreversible and serious environmental damage in the future,” said lead author Hiroshi Okochi of Waseda University on Wednesday.
nypost.com
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