Microplastics: All up in the air?

<p>It is often said that plastics, and particularly microplastics (<5mm), are all</p><p>around us, especially in the oceans where there is much concern about possible harmful</p><p>effects on marine life.&#160; The route of entry for plastics to the marine environment is generally</p><p>seen to be via rivers acting as a conduit after their production on the land by a whole host of</p><p>processes and uses by our societies. ^&#160;&#160;But in all the discussion on the</p><p>topic and rapidly growing research activity, the atmosphere barely gets a mention.&#160;</p><p>&#160;</p><p>But, recently published results show significant amounts of microplastics</p><p>in air at a remote terrestrial location in the Pyrenees (Allen et al., 2019, Nature Geoscience</p><p><strong>12</strong>:339).&#160; However, there appear to be no results from measurements over the oceans.&#160;&#160; If</p><p>these results from the Pyrenees are representative of the marine atmosphere a simple</p><p>calculation indicates a significant atmospheric route for the distribution of microplastics and</p><p>their subsequent deposition to the oceans.&#160; If correct such a pathway would lead to the</p><p>distribution of microplastics wider and faster than by ocean circulation alone.&#160; It would also</p><p>more readily explain why microplastics have been reported recently in Arctic snow</p><p>(Bergmann et al., 2019, <em>Sci. Adv.</em> <strong>5</strong>: eaax1157).&#160; In addition, it would also lead to a reframing</p><p>of our understanding of the budget and distribution of microplastics globally.</p>