Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Science
Volume
368
Issue
6496
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publication Date
6-12-2020
Award Number
NSF, Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) 1926559
Keywords
plastic, rain, environment, wind entrainment
Funder
NSF, Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
First Page
1
Last Page
13
Abstract
Eleven billion metric tons of plastic are projected to accumulate in the environment by 2025. Because plastics are persistent, they fragment into pieces that are susceptible to wind entrainment. Using high-resolution spatial and temporal data, we tested whether plastics deposited in wet versus dry conditions have distinct atmospheric life histories. Further, we report on the rates and sources of deposition to remote U.S. conservation areas. We show that urban centers and resuspension from soils or water are principal sources for wet-deposited plastics. By contrast, plastics deposited under dry conditions were smaller in size, and the rates of deposition were related to indices that suggest longer-range or global transport. Deposition rates averaged 132 plastics per square meter per day, which amounts to >1000 metric tons of plastic deposition to western U.S. protected lands annually.
Recommended Citation
Janice Brahney, Margaret Hallerud, Eric Heim, Maura Hahnenberger, Suja Sukumaran. Plastic rain in protected areas of the United States. Science 2020. 368(6496) 1-13 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz5819
