After sampling the skies over two Japanese mountains, scientists have found microplastics in the clouds.
The finding underscores the extent to which the small particles have invaded nearly every part of the Earth, where they can harm living creatures and even potentially influence the climate, the researchers from several Japanese universities wrote in a paper in Environmental Chemistry Letters.
The researchers collected samples of cloud water above Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, and Mount Oyama over several months. Using advanced imaging techniques, they identified nine different plastic polymers, along with some rubber.
Read more at: Yale Environment 360
Mount Fuji. Photo Credit: Midorisyu via Flickr