Study shows how hurricane acted as highway to transport microplastics to isolated region of Newfoundland

When a hurricane approaches and crosses land, severe damage can occur, often leaving an obvious trail of physical destruction. What’s less obvious to the naked eye is how these storms can transport harmful microplastics across the globe.

A team of Dalhousie researchers is working to learn more about how these tiny plastic fragments can be transported and spread through the atmosphere during major storms.

The research, published at the end of November in the journal Earth and Environment Communicationsinvolved the team collecting samples of atmospheric fallout during Hurricane Larry as it passed Newfoundland, Canada, in September 2021.

The team, comprised of master’s student Anna Ryan, Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) researcher Steve Allen, and Dalhousie University professors Vittorio Maselli and Tony Walker, combined the analysis into laboratory with numerical modeling simulations carried out in collaboration with Dr. Mark Cohen of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to better understand the phenomenon.

What the samples showed

The study provided a better understanding of the quantity of microplastic deposited and its origin. It also shows how hurricanes are able to transport microplastics faster than ocean currents to areas that do not regularly receive microplastic deposition from other sources.

Microplastics were found in every air sample collected in Newfoundland in 2021 during Hurricane Larry and in the days following, with the highest concentration of plastics found in those collected during the peak of the storm.

“The atmosphere allows particles to travel greater distances in less time than in the ocean and can deposit particles in remote areas inaccessible by other transport mechanisms,” says Ryan, an earth sciences student. and the environment.

The plastics found in the samples were then analyzed to determine their origin.

Through reverse trajectory modeling and analysis of the collected plastics, Dalhousie researchers believe they came from the Atlantic dump at the time of the hurricane. Ocean currents carry marine microplastics around the world and often concentrate in ocean gyres where currents become circular, creating huge patches of ocean trash.

New field of study

The ocean is home to a large portion of the planet’s microplastics. They initially originate on land and are transported to the ocean by various waterways, by sewage or by the atmosphere. Microplastics form in two ways: Larger plastics and synthetic fibers can break down over time, leaving microplastics behind, or they can be intentionally made for products such as scrubs.

Research on atmospheric microplastics remains a relatively new area of ​​study compared to contemporary research on ocean or river plastics, Ryan says.

“This is still a relatively new area of ​​research, so it was exciting to be involved in research on something that we don’t know much about as a society,” she says.

What we do know is that they can be harmful to living creatures.

“These tiny plastic particles can enter the bodies of organisms more easily, through eating, drinking or even breathing, making them a serious risk to humans and wildlife,” says Ryan.

But the implications of microplastics could be even greater than currently thought, especially when you consider how they move through the atmosphere.

“It is thought that microplastic pollution in these other compartments could interfere with the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon and mitigate the impacts of climate change,” says Ryan. “With so much unknown about microplastics, we believe any new information is important to help us better understand how microplastics behave across all environmental compartments.

The research team hopes to raise public awareness and inform policy makers of the imminent need to introduce sustainable alternative materials to plastics. They also aim to highlight the importance of new technologies to prevent microplastics from entering the environment.