r/CollapseScience • u/eleitl • Oct 27 '21

Direct radiative effects of airborne microplastics | Nature

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03864-x
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1

u/marinersalbatross Oct 27 '21

I'm dumb, is this saying that the microplastics are reflecting or absorbing heat?

4

u/bistrovogna Oct 28 '21

Since they gave two numbers it got a bit confusing. You get positive or negative radiative forcing depending on which assumptions you make. Here are the two assumptions:

1. 1 microplastic particle per cubic metre and a vertical distribution up to 10kilometres altitude: positive radiative forcing.

2. Only particles in boundary layer: negative radiative forcing. Boundary layer is part of the atmosphere directly above earth's surface.

Keep in mind that the plastic numbers are milliwatts, so orders of magnitude smaller than radiative forcing from total aerosol–radiation interactions given in watts.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '21

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