This article Republished from conversation under Creative Commons License.
Clouds form when water vapor, an invisible gas in the atmosphere, attaches to small airborne particles such as dust and transforms into liquid water droplets or ice crystals. Newly published research shows that microplastic particles have a similar effect, forming ice crystals at temperatures 5 to 10 degrees Celsius (9 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than droplets without microplastics. was shown.
This suggests that microplastics in the air can influence weather and climate by forming clouds in conditions where they would not normally form.
We are atmospheric chemists who study how different types of particles form ice when they come into contact with liquid water. This process that occurs constantly in the atmosphere is called nucleation.
Clouds in the atmosphere may be composed of liquid water droplets, ice particles, or a mixture of the two. Clouds in the middle to upper atmosphere with temperatures between 32 and -36 degrees Fahrenheit (0 and -38 degrees Celsius) typically have ice crystals around mineral dust particles from dry soils and biological particles such as pollen and bacteria. will be formed.
Microplastics are less than 5 millimeters wide, about the size of a pencil eraser. Some are microscopic. Scientists have discovered them in the deep waters of Antarctica, on the summit of Mount Everest, and in fresh snow in Antarctica. These pieces are so small that they can be easily transported through the air.
Clouds are an important part of Earth’s complex weather system, influencing precipitation, temperature, and climate.
why is it important
Ice in clouds has important effects on weather and climate, as most precipitation typically begins as ice particles.
Many cloud tops in non-tropical regions of the world extend far enough into the atmosphere that cold air freezes some of their moisture. And as the ice forms, it draws in water vapor from surrounding droplets, making the crystal heavier enough to fall. If ice does not develop, clouds tend to evaporate rather than cause rain or snowfall.
Children learn in elementary school that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), but that’s not always true. Without a core, such as a dust particle, water can supercool to -36 degrees Fahrenheit (-38 degrees Celsius) before freezing.
(Tag to translate) Conversation
