Atmospheric Aerosols

Aerosols make up the largest uncertainty when it comes to climate science. These tiny particulates can influence atmospheric processes in a number of ways, including but not limited to cloud microphysics, precipitation, radiative transfer properties, visibility, and even human and ecosystem health. While many atmospheric aerosols and species are naturally occurring, anthropogenic emissions continue to grow. As a result, this field of research is ever-expanding to encompass the vast extent to which our understanding of atmospheric aerosols can be improved. Filling in these gaps can improve air quality, climate, and weather forecasting/modeling, and can inform future industrial and regulatory practices.

Micro/Nanoplastics and PFAS

Plastics are relatively stable materials made of long-chain polymers and additives. While there is a wide range of what can be considered plastic, some of the most common compounds are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinylchloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). They are made into a wide array of everyday products (e.g., bags, containers, films, tubing, etc.) which are used ubiquitously by populations across the globe. These stable products, however, are subject to multiple methods of degradation when exposed to the environment. Since the vast majority of plastics in circulation cannot be recycled, they are littered or placed in landfills, where they break down into increasingly smaller particles known as microplastics and nanoplastics (MNP). A significant amount of research has been conducted on MNP pollution in marine and agricultural environments, but relatively little has been targeted at MNP in the atmosphere.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are known as "forever chemicals" because of their resistance to chemical breakdown due to the strength of their carbon-fluorine bonds. They are closely related to plastic polymers, as they can be used in the manufacturing process of plastics. More importantly, some PFAS are made by perfluorinating HDPE. PFAS have been around for almost as many decades as MNP, but we are first realizing their prevalence in the surface environment and the atmosphere. The nature of their health impacts are still under investigation.

Related Works

Below are some publications of interest on these topics:

MNP

  • Allen, S., Allen, D., Moss, K., Le Roux, G., Phoenix, V. R., & Sonke, J. E. (2020). Examination of the ocean as a source for atmospheric microplastics. PLOS ONE, 15(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232746

  • Aves, A. R., Revell, L. E., Gaw, S., Ruffell, H., Schuddeboom, A., Wotherspoon, N. E., LaRue, M., & McDonald, A. J. (2022). First evidence of microplastics in Antarctic snow. The Cryosphere, 16(6), 2127–2145. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2127-2022

  • Bianco, A., Sordello, F., Ehn, M., Vione, D., & Passananti, M. (2020). Degradation of nanoplastics in the environment: Reactivity and impact on atmospheric and surface waters. Science of The Total Environment, 742, 140413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140413

  • Deitsch, A. M., Zhang, J., Vladar, A., Andrews, E., Quinn, P. K., & Lance, S. M. (2023, January 9). Assessing filter-based measurements for evidence of atmospheric micro-and nanoplastic (MNP) aerosols through laboratory analysis. [Poster Presentation]. American Meteorological Society 103rd Annual Meeting, 14th Conference on Environment and Health. https://ams.confex.com/ams/103ANNUAL/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/417589

  • Ganguly, M., & Ariya, P. A. (2019). Ice nucleation of model nanoplastics and microplastics: A novel synthetic protocol and the influence of particle capping at diverse atmospheric environments. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 3(9), 1729–1739. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00132

  • Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances, 3(7). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1700782

  • González-Pleiter, M., Edo, C., Aguilera, Á., Viúdez-Moreiras, D., Pulido-Reyes, G., González-Toril, E., Osuna, S., de Diego-Castilla, G., Leganés, F., Fernández-Piñas, F., & Rosal, R. (2021). Occurrence and transport of microplastics sampled within and above the planetary boundary layer. Science of The Total Environment, 761, 143213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143213

  • Revell, L. E., Kuma, P., Le Ru, E. C., Somerville, W. R., & Gaw, S. (2021). Direct radiative effects of airborne microplastics. Nature, 598(7881), 462–467. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03864-x

  • Zangmeister, C. D., Radney, J. G., Benkstein, K. D., & Kalanyan, B. (2022). Common single-use consumer plastic products release trillions of sub-100 nm nanoparticles per liter into water during normal use. Environmental Science & Technology, 56(9), 5448–5455. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c06768

  • Zhao, X., Zhou, Y., Liang, C., Song, J., Yu, S., Liao, G., Zou, P., Tang, K. H., & Wu, C. (2023). Airborne microplastics: Occurrence, sources, fate, risks and mitigation. Science of The Total Environment, 858, 159943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159943

    • PFAS

  • D’Ambro, E. L., Pye, H. O., Bash, J. O., Bowyer, J., Allen, C., Efstathiou, C., Gilliam, R. C., Reynolds, L., Talgo, K., & Murphy, B. N. (2021). Characterizing the air emissions, transport, and deposition of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from a fluoropolymer manufacturing facility. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(2), 862–870. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c06580

  • Deitsch, A. M., Lawrence, C. E., Casson, P., Lance, S. M., Shafer, M. M., Offenberg, J. H., & Puchalski, M. A. (2024, January 31). Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Cloud Water and Precipitation Samples from Whiteface Mountain, NY. [Poster Presentation]. American Meteorological Society 104th Annual Meeting, 26th Conference on Atmospheric Chemistry. https://ams.confex.com/ams/104ANNUAL/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/439242

  • Deitsch, A. M., Lawrence, C. E., Casson, P., Lance, S. M., Shafer, M. M., Offenberg, J. H., & Puchalski, M. A. (2023, October 26). A Comparison of Persistent Pollutant Concentrations in Cloud Water and Precipitation Collected in the Adirondack Mountains. [Oral Presentation]. National Atmospheric Deposition Program Fall Meeting and Scientific Symposium, Advances in Measurements of Atmospheric Pollution – Part 1. https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/conf/2023/S4_05_Deitsch.html

  • Faust, J. A. (2022). PFAS on atmospheric aerosol particles: A review. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 25(2), 133–150. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2em00002d

  • Galloway, J. E., Moreno, A. V., Lindstrom, A. B., Strynar, M. J., Newton, S., May, A. A., & Weavers, L. K. (2020). Evidence of air dispersion: HFPO–da and PFOA in Ohio and West Virginia surface water and soil near a fluoropolymer production facility. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(12), 7175–7184. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b07384

  • Offenberg, J. H., Lance, S., Deitsch, A., Lawrence, C., Casson, P., Puchalski, M., & Shafer, M. (2022, November 17) Initial Evaluation of Cloud Water Content of Per- and Polyfluorinated Compounds in Archived Samples from Whiteface Mountain, NY. [Oral Presentation]. National Atmospheric Deposition Program Fall Meeting and Scientific Symposium, Tracking Emerging Pollutants and Climate Change Indicators. https://nadp.slh.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/NADP_pro_2022.pdf#page=55

  • Wolf, M. J., Zhang, Y., Zhou, J., Surratt, J. D., Turpin, B. J., & Cziczo, D. J. (2021). Enhanced ice nucleation of simulated sea salt particles with the addition of anthropogenic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 5(8), 2074–2085. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00138

  • Young, C. J., Furdui, V. I., Franklin, J., Koerner, R. M., Muir, D. C. G., & Mabury, S. A. (2007). Perfluorinated Acids in Arctic Snow: New Evidence for Atmospheric Formation. Environmental Science & Technology, 41(10), 3455-3461. https://www.doi.org/10.1021/es0626234

  • Zhou, J., Baumann, K., Surratt, J. D., & Turpin, B. J. (2022). Legacy and emerging airborne per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) collected on PM2.5 filters in close proximity to a fluoropolymer manufacturing facility. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 24(12), 2272–2283. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2em00358a