First evidence of microplastics in Antarctic snow

In recent years, airborne microplastics have been identified in a range of remote environments. However, data throughout the Southern Hemisphere, in particular Antarctica, are largely absent to date. We collected snow samples from 19 sites across the Ross Island region of Antarctica. Suspected microplastic particles were isolated and their composition confirmed using micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μFTIR).We identified microplastics in all Antarctic snow samples at an average concentration of 29 particles L−1, with fibres the most common morphotype and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) the most common polymer. To investigate sources, backward air mass trajectories were run from the time of sampling. These indicate potential long-range transportation of up to 6000 kilometers, assuming a residence time of 6.5 days. Local sources were also identified as potential inputs into the environment, as the polymers identified were consistent with those used in clothing and equipment from nearby research stations. This study adds to the growing body of literature regarding microplastics as a ubiquitous airborne pollutant, and establishes their presence in Antarctica.

Spatial Characteristics and Regional Transmission Analysis of PM2.5 Pollution in Northeast China, 2016–2020

Northeast China is an essential industrial development base in China and the regional air quality is severely affected by PM2.5 pollution. In this paper, spatial autocorrelation, trajectory clustering, hotspot analysis, PSCF and CWT analysis are used to explore the spatial pollution characteristics of PM2.5 and determine the atmospheric regional transmission pattern for 40 cities in Northeast China from 2016 to 2020. Analysis of PM2.5 concentration characteristics in the northeast indicates that the annual average value and total exceedance days of PM2.5 concentration in Northeast China showed a U-shaped change, with the lowest annual average PM2.5 concentration (31 μg/m3) in 2018, decreasing by 12.1% year-on-year, and the hourly PM2.5 concentration exploding during the epidemic lockdown period in 2020. A stable PM2.5 pollution band emerges spatially from the southwest to Northeast China. Spatially, the PM2.5 in Northeast China has a high degree of autocorrelation and a south-hot–north-cool characteristic, with all hotspots concentrated in the most polluted Liaoning province, which exhibits the H–H cluster pattern and hotspot per year. Analysis of the air mass trajectories, potential source contributions and concentration weight trajectories in Northeast China indicates that more than 74% of the air mass trajectories were transmitted to each other between the three heavily polluted cities, with the highest mean value of PM2.5 pollution trajectories reaching 222.4 μg/m3, and the contribution of daily average PM2.5 concentrations exceeding 60 μg/m3 within Northeast China. Pollution of PM2.5 throughout the Northeast is mainly influenced by short-range intra-regional transport, with long-range transport between regions also being an essential factor; organized integration is the only fundamental solution to air pollution.

Marine productivity and synoptic meteorology drive summer-time variability in Southern Ocean aerosols

Cloud-radiation interactions over the Southern Ocean are not well constrained in climate models, in part due to uncertainties in the sources, concentrations and cloud-forming potential of aerosol in this region. To date, most studies in this region have reported measurements from fixed terrestrial stations or a limited set of instrumentation, and often present findings as broad seasonal or latitudinal trends. Here, we present an extensive set of aerosol and meteorological observations obtained during an austral summer cruise across the full width of the Southern Ocean south of Australia. Three episodes of continental-influenced air masses were identified, including an apparent transition between the Ferrel atmospheric cell and the polar cell at approximately 64° S. During the other two episodes, synoptic-scale weather patterns diverted air masses across distances greater than 1000 km from the Australian and Antarctic coastlines, respectively, indicating that a large proportion of the Southern Ocean may be periodically influenced by continental air masses. In all three cases, a highly cloud-active accumulation mode dominated the size distribution, with up to 93 % of the total number concentration activating as cloud condensation nuclei. In contrast, sampling periods influenced by marine air masses frequently demonstrated a correlation between air mass trajectories over regions of high biological productivity and subsequent enhancement of an Aitken mode centred at approximately 30 nm and contributing an average of 71 % of the total aerosol number concentration. Although these small diameters limited their contribution to cloud condensation nuclei concentrations, Aitken number concentrations and diameters were highly variable. A detailed investigation of the marine air masses revealed that this variability may be attributed to the availability of biogenic precursors, the competing influence of condensation sinks (such as sea spray aerosol) and vertical transport between the marine boundary layer and the free troposphere. This variability of the marine Aitken mode as well as the instances of long-range transport were governed by synoptic-scale weather systems, through their influence on air mass trajectories and both generation and depletion of condensation sinks. These results demonstrate the highly dynamic nature of Southern Ocean aerosol and their complex dependence on both biological productivity and synoptic-scale weather systems.

The Relationship between Air-Mass Trajectories and the Abundance of Dust-Borne Prokaryotes at the SE Mediterranean Sea

Airborne prokaryotes are transported along with dust/aerosols, yet very little attention is given to their temporal variability above the oceans and the factors that govern their abundance. We analyzed the abundance of autotrophic (cyanobacteria) and heterotopic airborne microbes in 34 sampling events between 2015–2018 at a coastal site in the SE Mediterranean Sea. We show that airborne autotrophic (0.2–7.6 cells × 103 m−3) and heterotrophic (0.2–30.6 cells × 103 m−3) abundances were affected by the origin and air mass trajectory, and the concentration of dust/aerosols in the air, while seasonality was not coherent. The averaged ratio between heterotrophic and autotrophic prokaryotes in marine-dominated trajectories was ~1.7 ± 0.6, significantly lower than for terrestrial routes (6.8 ± 6.1). Airborne prokaryotic abundances were linearly and positively correlated to the concentrations of total aerosol, while negatively correlated with the aerosol’s anthropogenic fraction (using Pb/Al or Cu/Al ratios as proxies). While aerosols may play a major role in dispersing terrestrial and marine airborne microbes in the SE Mediterranean Sea, the mechanisms involved in the dispersal and diversity of airborne microorganisms remain to be studied and should include standardization in collection and analysis protocols.

Air Mass Trajectories to Estimate the “Most Likely” Areas to Be Affected by the Release of Hazardous Materials in the Atmosphere—Feasibility Study

Countries continuously review and improve their Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) arrangements and capabilities to take agile and rapid actions with the intent of minimizing health, environmental and economic impacts of potential harmful releases into the atmosphere. One of the specific topics within the EP&R field is the estimation of the areas that might be affected. A proposal is presented to estimate the spatial distribution of the released material. The methodology combines the computation of air mass trajectories and the elaboration of density maps from the corresponding end-point positions. To this purpose, density maps are created in a three-way procedure; first, forward trajectories are calculated from a certain location and for a long period of time, e.g., a decade; second, the selected end-point positions are aggregated in a density field by applying the kernel density estimation method, and then the density field is visualized. The final product reports the areas with the longest residence time of air masses, and hence, the areas “most likely” to be affected and where the deposit may be substantial. The usefulness of this method is evaluated taking as reference a ten-year period (2007–2016) and against two different radioactive release scenarios, such as the Chernobyl accident and the Algeciras release. While far from being fully comprehensive, as only meteorological data are used, the performance of this method is reasonably efficient, and hence, it is a desirable alternative to estimating those areas potentially affected by a substantial deposit following the releases of a harmful material in the atmosphere.