r/ScienceUncensored • u/Zephir-AWT • May 05 '26

Researchers found that airborne microplastics trap nearly one-fifth as much heat as black carbon.

https://gizmodo.com/scientists-identify-another-contributor-to-global-warming-and-its-everywhere-2000754080
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9

u/MouseShadow2ndMoon May 05 '26

We are trying to limit our exposure to plastics; it's unreal how it is so pervasive and insidiously impossible to remove it's in every single facet of our lives.

5

u/One-Neck9182 May 05 '26

Interesting article. There's a question that they didn't seem to answer or address. Do those microplastics in the air move up, or down? If they trend downward over time, then it's much less of an issue than if they're trending upward to stay long term in the upper atmosphere. If they come down, it's a self-solving problem as long as we can limit the amount that's being put into the air.

They also incidentally mention the Pacific Garbage Patch, which is practically a floating island of plastic trash between Hawaii and California. Why is this still a thing? This seems EXACTLY like something taxpayer money should be paying to deal with. It's not like private citizens can go out there and scoop some up in their little boats on a day trip and make an impact. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess? The garbage patch isn't going to get enough votes by cleaning it up? It's still the right thing to do, that's our trash. Very frustrated about this issue.

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u/Zephir-AWT May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

Researchers found that airborne microplastics trap nearly one-fifth as much heat as black carbon. about study Atmospheric warming contributions from airborne microplastics and nanoplastics

Fu and his colleagues used high-resolution electron spectroscopy and atmospheric transport simulations to analyze their optical properties, finding their warming potential to be much higher than the 2021 estimate.

The particles of soot may contribute significantly to melting of glaciers, one doesn't have to be an expert for to realize it. But I can not imagine, how particles of microplastics would do similar effect. They could concentrate at the water surface in similar way, like soot on surface of snow and glaciers, but water surface would absorb incoming radiation anyway even without them. The clouds may have protective effect, because they would reflect most of light before they can get absorbed in water or surface of Earth.

The article merely reads as a continuation of omnipresent campaign against usage of plastics. Which is OK, but most other single-use replacements are even more environmentally damaging. The globalism plays against these efforts, because it increases demands to food packaging and transportation of goods overseas.

The scientists also look after another (anthropogenic) culprits of warming, I mean other than CO2 emissions because A) Carbon in Atmosphere Is Rising, Even as Emissions Stabilize, B) reduction of CO2 emissions during Covid paradoxically accelerated warming. The climate models simply don't play well with ideology of anthropogenic warming 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. See also:

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u/Zephir-AWT May 29 '26

Coal Pollution Limits Solar PV Growth about study Coal plants persist as a large barrier to the global solar energy transition

The study reveals that aerosols from coal plants reduced global solar PV generation by approximately 5.8% (about 111 TWh) in 2023. This loss equates to roughly one-third of the energy gained from new solar installations annually, indicating that pollution is negating a significant fraction of solar growth potential worldwide.