The questions of "if" and "how" microplastics are influencing the Climate System continues to come into focus. AS USUAL it's looking far worse than anyone expected. I found your review of the latest science on this to be HIGHLY interesting.
My tendency is to view microplastic aerosol particles as a form of "dust". What we have done is put a LOT more "dust" into the atmosphere. The effects of this are still very uncertain so discussion of this is VERY timely.
The HIGH POINTS for me are these three:
"In a polluted environment with many more aerosol particles, like microplastics, you are distributing the available water among many more aerosol particles, forming smaller droplets around each of those particles."
-Just as a warming atmosphere EXPANDS and creates more volume at a given temperature for water vapor to fill, leading to depressed cloud formation. The point here is that massive amounts of plastic particles "spread out" the water vapor into smaller droplets. More water is "in" the air but fewer clouds form.
"When you have more droplets, you get less rain, but because droplets only rain once they get large enough, you collect more total water in the cloud before the droplets are large enough to fall and, as a result, you get heavier rainfall when it comes.”
-More water in the air is more water that will trap and hold HEAT. This is a potential warming amplifier.
"The amount of liquid water versus the amount of ice is important in determining to what extent clouds will have a warming or cooling effect. If microplastics are influencing mixed-phase cloud formation, they are likely affecting climate, too, but it’s extremely difficult to model their overall effect."
-If the microplastics cause the atmosphere to hold even more water vapor than our models predicted then we could be looking at even faster acceleration of the Rate of Warming. The earth would rapidly get more humid and HOT while paradoxically becoming less cloudy.
Much like what we see in the paleoclimate record. See,
Under a Green Sky: Global Warming, the Mass Extinctions of the Past, and What They Can Tell Us About Our Future by Peter Ward (2007)
“Seventy four metric tonnes of microplastics have been found in Auckland’s atmosphere, the equivalent of three million plastic bottles per year, researchers say.”
“The University of Auckland research, published in Environmental Science & Technology, found the microplastics were of such small sizes that there was concern they could be inhaled and accumulate in the human body.”
For every 1C we heat the planet we get 7% more water vapour in the atmosphere. Add to that all these Aerosole'd plastic particles that act as cloud nuclei, and we have a subtle feedback loop!
In March this year we interviewed Oceanographer Jim Massa, he also has published an analysis on micro-plastics in our environment.
I'll drop it here for further reference.
I'll come back here later today when I've crossed posted both analysis on my website.
Thank you, sir, for your persistence and dedication to our bleak future.
Every sailor needs a reliable forecast, underestimation sinks ships.
My friend and colleague Kevin weighs in with an informed, helpful comment. Thank you, Kevin, for sharing my work and adding to it. I look forward to your future comment.
You're right about the water vapor and how it responds to planetary warming. Most people are unaware of this self-reinforcing feedback loop, even though it was referenced many years ago in peer-reviewed literature.
If microplastics are increasing cloud formation, that should have a cooling effect, right? So, party on, right? No? With our presidential choice of "drill, drill, drill" Tramp, more and more petrochemical distillates will be available of more and more plastic products, which means more and more microplastics, which will yield more and more clouds, which may be what happened to Venus. Jus' sayin'. Some time ago, I went to an Amazon advertiser and ordered a custom made tee-shirt, which reads; "Venus 2.0 ?". When I wore it in public here in Marietta, Ohio, I was ignored. Apparently, nobody reads anymore, so bring on the clouds. Maybe they'll cool us in our time of needed global AC? Thanks for your thoughtful posts, Guy! Have a blessed day!
The questions of "if" and "how" microplastics are influencing the Climate System continues to come into focus. AS USUAL it's looking far worse than anyone expected. I found your review of the latest science on this to be HIGHLY interesting.
My tendency is to view microplastic aerosol particles as a form of "dust". What we have done is put a LOT more "dust" into the atmosphere. The effects of this are still very uncertain so discussion of this is VERY timely.
The HIGH POINTS for me are these three:
"In a polluted environment with many more aerosol particles, like microplastics, you are distributing the available water among many more aerosol particles, forming smaller droplets around each of those particles."
-Just as a warming atmosphere EXPANDS and creates more volume at a given temperature for water vapor to fill, leading to depressed cloud formation. The point here is that massive amounts of plastic particles "spread out" the water vapor into smaller droplets. More water is "in" the air but fewer clouds form.
"When you have more droplets, you get less rain, but because droplets only rain once they get large enough, you collect more total water in the cloud before the droplets are large enough to fall and, as a result, you get heavier rainfall when it comes.”
-More water in the air is more water that will trap and hold HEAT. This is a potential warming amplifier.
"The amount of liquid water versus the amount of ice is important in determining to what extent clouds will have a warming or cooling effect. If microplastics are influencing mixed-phase cloud formation, they are likely affecting climate, too, but it’s extremely difficult to model their overall effect."
-If the microplastics cause the atmosphere to hold even more water vapor than our models predicted then we could be looking at even faster acceleration of the Rate of Warming. The earth would rapidly get more humid and HOT while paradoxically becoming less cloudy.
Much like what we see in the paleoclimate record. See,
Under a Green Sky: Global Warming, the Mass Extinctions of the Past, and What They Can Tell Us About Our Future by Peter Ward (2007)
This is a great, thoughtful comment. Thank you!
Your detailed response enunciates how incredibly complex the chemical composition of our atmosphere has always been.
The dominant culture discusses how much we can destabilize the atmosphere, 1.5C? 2C? 3C? 14C? for pities sake!
No level of destabilization of the atmosphere was safe, wise up people!
https://kevinhester.live/2024/11/05/catastrophically-dire-peer-reviewed-paper-ignored-by-the-corporate-media/
“Seventy four metric tonnes of microplastics have been found in Auckland’s atmosphere, the equivalent of three million plastic bottles per year, researchers say.”
“The University of Auckland research, published in Environmental Science & Technology, found the microplastics were of such small sizes that there was concern they could be inhaled and accumulate in the human body.”
As promised, thank you sir.
https://kevinhester.live/2024/12/17/microplastics-changing-earths-climate-from-the-depths-of-the-oceans-across-fertile-lands-and-forests-high-up-into-the-atmosphere/
Wow! Inhaled? Accumulate in the body. I'm sure this is fine ... right?!?
For every 1C we heat the planet we get 7% more water vapour in the atmosphere. Add to that all these Aerosole'd plastic particles that act as cloud nuclei, and we have a subtle feedback loop!
In March this year we interviewed Oceanographer Jim Massa, he also has published an analysis on micro-plastics in our environment.
I'll drop it here for further reference.
I'll come back here later today when I've crossed posted both analysis on my website.
Thank you, sir, for your persistence and dedication to our bleak future.
Every sailor needs a reliable forecast, underestimation sinks ships.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjz9gu9SUk
My friend and colleague Kevin weighs in with an informed, helpful comment. Thank you, Kevin, for sharing my work and adding to it. I look forward to your future comment.
You're right about the water vapor and how it responds to planetary warming. Most people are unaware of this self-reinforcing feedback loop, even though it was referenced many years ago in peer-reviewed literature.
If microplastics are increasing cloud formation, that should have a cooling effect, right? So, party on, right? No? With our presidential choice of "drill, drill, drill" Tramp, more and more petrochemical distillates will be available of more and more plastic products, which means more and more microplastics, which will yield more and more clouds, which may be what happened to Venus. Jus' sayin'. Some time ago, I went to an Amazon advertiser and ordered a custom made tee-shirt, which reads; "Venus 2.0 ?". When I wore it in public here in Marietta, Ohio, I was ignored. Apparently, nobody reads anymore, so bring on the clouds. Maybe they'll cool us in our time of needed global AC? Thanks for your thoughtful posts, Guy! Have a blessed day!