Microplastics in the atmosphere: Higher emissions from land areas than from the ocean
Study reveals large discrepancies between emission estimates and measurements of microplastics in the atmosphere
University of Vienna
The atmosphere is an important transport medium that carries microplastics to even the most remote parts of the world. These microplastics can be inhaled and pose a health risk to humans and animals. They can also settle out of the atmosphere and contaminate oceans and soils worldwide. A new study by the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Vienna estimates microplastic emissions from land-based and oceanic sources into the atmosphere based on global measurement data and model simulations. The results: over 20 times more microplastic particles are emitted on land than from the ocean. The study was recently published in Nature.
It is now well documented that the atmosphere worldwide is contaminated with microplastic particles, which then settle even in the most remote parts of the world. The microplastics originate from primary sources such as tyre abrasion or textile fibres, as well as from the resuspension of already contaminated land or the ocean. However, the magnitude of these emissions and their distribution among emission sources was previously unknown. In previous studies, the ocean was often cited as the main source.
About the study: Systematic comparison of model calculations and measurements
In the current study, Ioanna Evangelou, Silvia Bucci and Andreas Stohl from the University of Vienna collected 2,782 globally distributed individual measurements of microplastics in the atmosphere from the literature. The meteorologists then compared these measurements with simulations with a transport model that used three different published emission estimates. The scientists found that the model overestimates the number of microplastic particles in the atmosphere and their deposition on the Earth's surface by several orders of magnitude, both over land and over the ocean. Using this systematic discrepancy between model results and observations, the Vienna-based researchers were able to rescale the emissions separately for land and ocean emissions. This resulted in improved emission estimates.
Specifically, it turned out that the number of particles emitted on land had to be revised significantly downwards in order to reconcile the model results with the measurements. Ocean emissions were also largely overestimated. When asked where more microplastics enter the atmosphere, the study's lead author, Andreas Stohl, says: "The now scaled emission estimates show that over 20 times more microplastic particles are emitted on land than from the ocean." "However, the emitted mass is actually higher over the ocean than over land, which is due to the larger average size of oceanic particles," adds first author Ioanna Evangelou.
More measurements needed to clearly classify microplastic pollution
With this study, the scientists are taking an important step towards better estimating the pollution of the atmosphere with microplastics and their global transport. "However, the data situation is still not satisfactory, and there are still major uncertainties. More measurements are needed so that we know how much microplastic comes from traffic and how much from other sources. The size distribution of the particles is also highly uncertain, and thus the total amount of plastic transported in the atmosphere," summarises Andreas Stohl, lead author of the study.
Summary:
- Globally distributed measurements of microplastics in the atmosphere were compared with model simulations.
- The comparison showed that the model overestimates the number of measured microplastic particles by several orders of magnitude.
- This is a clear indication that the emission estimates used to date are far too high, especially for land-based emissions.
- The number of microplastic particles emitted from land is more than 20 times higher than the number of particles emitted from the ocean.
- More accurate measurements are needed for more precise emission estimates. In particular, the size distribution of plastic particles is a major source of uncertainty that has not been recorded accurately enough in the measurement data to date.
Environment and Climate Research Hub at the University of Vienna:
Andreas Stohl is Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy and a member of the University of Vienna's interdisciplinary Environment and Climate Research Hub (ECH). This network brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to gain excellent scientific insights that can offer solutions to pressing problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution.
About the University of Vienna:
For over 650 years the University of Vienna has stood for education, research and innovation. Today, it is ranked among the top 100 and thus the top four per cent of all universities worldwide and is globally connected. With degree programmes covering over 180 disciplines, and more than 10,000 employees we are one of the largest academic institutions in Europe. Here, people from a broad spectrum of disciplines come together to carry out research at the highest level and develop solutions for current and future challenges. Its students and graduates develop reflected and sustainable solutions to complex challenges using innovative spirit and curiosity.
Journal
Nature
Article Title
Atmospheric microplastic emissions from land and ocean
Article Publication Date
21-Jan-2026
Tiny plastics, big damage: How road pollutants threaten developing eyes
Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences
image:
Nanoplastics Act as “Trojan Horses” to Amplify 6PPD-Induced Visual Toxicity.
view moreCredit: Environmental Science and Ecotechnology
Emerging evidence suggests that environmental pollutants rarely act alone, yet most toxicological studies still assess them in isolation. This research reveals that nanoplastics can dramatically intensify the eye toxicity of a common tire-derived chemical, transforming moderate exposure into severe visual damage. Using a vertebrate model, the study demonstrates that nanoplastics act as carriers that increase chemical uptake in eye tissues, leading to abnormal eye structure, impaired vision-related behavior, and widespread cellular damage. These findings highlight a previously underappreciated risk of combined pollution, showing that interactions between plastics and chemical additives can produce synergistic effects far more harmful than either contaminant alone, with potential consequences for survival and ecosystem health.
Micro- and nanoplastics are now pervasive in aquatic environments, largely originating from plastic degradation and tire wear particles released from roads. Tire additives, designed to prevent rubber degradation, are routinely washed into rivers and coastal waters, where they coexist with plastic debris. Previous studies have shown that nanoplastics can adsorb hydrophobic chemicals, potentially altering their biological effects. Meanwhile, tire-derived compounds have been linked to developmental and neurological toxicity in aquatic organisms. However, little is known about how these pollutants interact during early development, particularly in sensitive organs such as the eye. Based on these challenges, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research on how combined plastic–chemical exposures affect visual development and function.
Researchers from Wenzhou Medical University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported (DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2026.100657) on January 8, 2026, in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, that nanoplastics significantly worsen eye damage caused by the tire antioxidant 6PPD. Using zebrafish embryos, a well-established vertebrate model for vision research, the team investigated how polystyrene nanoplastics interact with 6PPD during early development. Their results show that combined exposure leads to more severe eye malformations, impaired visual behavior, and molecular disruption than exposure to the chemical alone.
The researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to environmentally relevant concentration of polystyrene nanoplastics, sublethal concentrations of 6PPD, or a combination of both. While 6PPD alone caused measurable eye abnormalities, co-exposure with nanoplastics dramatically amplified these effects. Embryos showed myopia-like eye malformations, disrupted retinal structure, and increased cell death in ocular tissues. Behavioral tests further revealed impaired phototaxis, indicating functional vision loss.
Advanced imaging demonstrated that nanoplastics accumulated preferentially in the eye and significantly increased the internal concentration of 6PPD. This “Trojan horse” effect allowed the chemical to penetrate deeper into sensitive visual tissues. Histological analysis confirmed damage to the retina, lens, and ocular blood vessels, while dual-omics profiling uncovered widespread disruption of genes and proteins involved in phototransduction, eye morphogenesis, and oxidative stress regulation.
Notably, the study identified ferroptosis—an iron-dependent form of cell death driven by lipid peroxidation—as a central mechanism underlying the amplified toxicity. Co-exposure triggered excessive reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial damage, and collapse of antioxidant defenses, leading to irreversible visual impairment. Together, these findings demonstrate that nanoplastics fundamentally change how tire-derived chemicals interact with developing biological systems.
“Our results show that nanoplastics are not just passive debris,” the researchers noted. “They actively transport toxic chemicals into developing tissues, greatly increasing biological damage.” The team emphasized that the eye is especially vulnerable due to its direct exposure and complex neural structure. By uncovering ferroptosis as a key mechanism, the study provides new insight into how combined pollutants overwhelm cellular defenses. According to the authors, assessing pollutants one by one may substantially underestimate real-world risks, particularly in environments affected by road runoff and plastic pollution.
These findings have important implications for environmental risk assessment and aquatic ecosystem protection. Visual impairment can directly reduce survival by compromising feeding, predator avoidance, and navigation. The study suggests that current regulatory frameworks, which often evaluate chemicals and plastics separately, may fail to capture the true hazards of mixed pollution. By highlighting nanoplastics as active amplifiers of chemical toxicity, the research calls for integrated approaches to pollution management. Future studies may explore whether similar interactions threaten other organs or affect human health. Ultimately, understanding how pollutants interact is essential for developing more accurate environmental safety standards in an increasingly plastic-contaminated world.
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References
DOI
Original Source URL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2026.100657
Funding information
This work was supported in part by funding from the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (No. ZCLY24B0702), Wenzhou Science and Technology project (No. S2023007), Wenzhou Municipal Key Laboratory of Neurodevelopmental Pathology and Physiology (No. 2023HZSY0003), the Project of South Zhejiang Institute of Radiation Medicine and Nuclear Technology (No. ZFY-2022-K-004) and National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students (No. S202510343117X).
About Environmental Science and Ecotechnology
Environmental Science and Ecotechnology (ISSN 2666-4984) is an international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal published by Elsevier. The journal publishes significant views and research across the full spectrum of ecology and environmental sciences, such as climate change, sustainability, biodiversity conservation, environment & health, green catalysis/processing for pollution control, and AI-driven environmental engineering. The latest impact factor of ESE is 14.3, according to the Journal Citation ReportsTM 2024.
Journal
Horticulture Research
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Nanoplastics amplify 6PPD ocular toxicity in zebrafish
Article Publication Date
18-Jan-2026
