Plastic Rain
Plastic rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that contains platsic, meaning that it contains elevated levels of microplastic particles. It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Plastic rain is caused by rain drawing microplastics in the atmosphere down to earth. Microplastic particles could even be acting as condensation nuclei, which are pieces of debris that attract water vapor to form a cloud.[1][2] What makes plastic so useful—its hardiness—is what also makes it an alarming pollutant: plastic never disintegrates, instead breaking into ever smaller bits that infiltrate all environments of the planet.
Definition[edit]
"Plastic rain" is a popular term referring to the deposition of a mixture from wet (rain, snow, sleet, fog, cloudwater, and dew) and dry (particles and gases) plastic components. Microplastic particles of fragmented plastic bottles and microfibers that fray from sources of plastic get caught up in Earth’s atmospheric systems and deposited onto the land. The particles that fall in rain are larger than those deposited by wind as lighter particles are more easily caught up in air currents. One study showed that microfibers, from sources like polyester clothing, made up 66 percent of the synthetic material in wet samples and 70 percent in dry samples. Overall, they found that a stunning 98 percent of samples collected over a year contained microplastic particles.[3]
History[edit]
"Plastic rain" has been noted in academic circles since the later 2010s.
In the United States[edit]
One 2020 study focusing on western U.S. protected lands recorded 132 plastics falling on each square meter per day, amounting to to >1000 metric tons of plastic deposition annually.[4]
See also[edit]
- Basic precipitation
- Acid Rain
- List of environmental issues
- Lists of environmental topics
- Ocean acidification
- Rain dust (an alkaline rain)
References[edit]
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