Overview
- The peer-reviewed study in Science Advances quantified microplastics and nanoplastics across aerosols, dustfall, rain and resuspension in two Chinese megacities.
- Using a computer-controlled scanning electron microscope, researchers measured particles down to about 200 nanometers for the first time in complex environmental samples.
- Detected concentrations in total suspended particulates and dustfall were two to six orders of magnitude higher than values reported by traditional visual identification techniques.
- Estimated fluxes varied by two to five orders of magnitude across atmospheric compartments, driven primarily by road dust resuspension and rainfall-driven deposition.
- Findings position urban air as a major reservoir and transport pathway for these particles, with potential roles in cloud processes and redeposition that raise environmental and health concerns without claiming measurable global climate impacts.