This study presents global simulations of atmospheric transport of microplastic particles from road traffic (tire wear particles (TWPs) and brake wear particles (BWPs)). The simulations reveal high transport efficiencies to remote regions, with about 34% of emitted coarse TWPs and 30% of emitted coarse BWPs deposited in the World Ocean. These amounts are comparable to estimated direct and riverine transport. The Arctic is identified as a particularly sensitive receptor region, where light-absorbing properties of TWPs and BWPs could accelerate warming and cryosphere melting.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Jul 14, 2020
Authors
N. Evangeliou, H. Grythe, Z. Klimont, C. Heyes, S. Eckhardt, S. Lopez-Aparicio, A. Stohl
Tags
microplastics
atmospheric transport
road traffic
tire wear particles
brake wear particles
World Ocean
Arctic
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