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takyon writes:

Revealed: more than 1,000 metric tons of microplastics rain down on US parks and wilderness

Microplastic particles equivalent to as many as 300m plastic water bottles are raining down on the Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree and other US national parks, researchers have found.

In a survey of 11 remote western locations, also including the Great Basin and Craters of the Moon national parks, researchers discovered [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz5819] [DX] more than 1,000 metric tons of microplastic particles that had traveled through the atmosphere like rain or water particles.

Most microplastics are fragments from larger pieces of plastic. Since plastics aren't biodegradable, plastics that end up in waste piles or landfills break down into microparticles and make their way through the Earth's atmosphere, soil and water systems.

[...] Scientists have also linked [open, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b01339] [DX] microplastic particles to fluctuations in soil thermal properties, leading to losses in plant life.

Some stay dry and others feel the pain.

Original Submission