Microplastic Pollution Found in the Snow Near the Top of Mount Everest, Says Study
4 years, 1 month ago

Microplastic Pollution Found in the Snow Near the Top of Mount Everest, Says Study

News 18  

Traces of microplastics have been found close to the top of Mount Everest, a study showed Friday, likely originating from equipment used by the hundreds of climbers who summit the world’s highest peak every year. Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even frozen excrement have long littered the well-trodden route to the 8,848-metre high summit, earning it the name of “the highest dumpster in the world”. But in the first study of microplastics on Everest, by a research team part of the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition, the tiny pollutants were found as high as 8,440 metres above sea level, although concentration levels were higher at the mountain’s base camp. Last year, a 14-member team spent six weeks scouring for litter at Everest base camp and at Camp 4 — nearly 8,000 metres up.

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History of this topic

Microplastics found in human brains: Scientists urge global action
3 months, 4 weeks ago

Microplastics found in human brains: Scientists urge global action

New Indian Express  

The widespread use of plastics has led to severe environmental contamination, with microplastics now infiltrating vital human organs, including the brain. A growing body of evidence reveals that these tiny plastic particles—less than 5 millimeters in size—are accumulating in the air, water, food, and even within human tissues. In a recent study, soon to be peer-reviewed and published by the …

Microplastics found in clouds over mountains in China could impact Earth's weather, study reveals
1 year, 1 month ago

Microplastics found in clouds over mountains in China could impact Earth's weather, study reveals

Daily Mail  

Microplastics are nearly everywhere - on remote beaches, in seafood, atop pristine mountains, in the bodies of newborn babies and now in clouds over China. A team from the nation identified tiny particles in clouds above the World Heritage site Mount Tai, and speculate the microplastics could affect Earth's weather. The microplastics found atop Mount Tai came in many shapes: …

Microplastics Are Polluting the Ocean at a Shocking Rate
1 year, 9 months ago

Microplastics Are Polluting the Ocean at a Shocking Rate

Wired  

If you throw a polyester sweatshirt in the washing machine, it doesn’t emerge as quite its former self. An international team of researchers calculates that between 82 and 358 trillion plastic particles—a collective 2.4 to 10.8 billion pounds—are floating across the world … and that’s only in the top foot of seawater. “We're talking about quintillions, probably, that's out there, …

What is plastic rain? All you need to know
2 years ago

What is plastic rain? All you need to know

India Today  

The detrimental effects of a plastic mist or rain of microplastics on the human body are a reality, not the subject of research or hypothesis. According to a study done by a group of experts from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, every square metre of urban rooftops in Auckland receives an average of 5,000 pieces of microplastic every …

Microplastics discovered in fresh Antarctic snow for first time
2 years, 6 months ago

Microplastics discovered in fresh Antarctic snow for first time

The Hindu  

Scientists have found microplastics — plastic pieces much smaller than a grain of rice — in freshly fallen Antarctic snow for the first time, which they said has the potential to influence the climate by accelerating melting of ice. "It is incredibly sad but finding microplastics in fresh Antarctic snow highlights the extent of plastic pollution in even the most …

Switzerland covered by as much as 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastic every year, study says
2 years, 10 months ago

Switzerland covered by as much as 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastic every year, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy At least 3,000 tonnes of nanoplastics cover Switzerland every year, from the remote Alps to …

Scientists find plastic particles in clean air over French Pyrenees mountains
3 years ago

Scientists find plastic particles in clean air over French Pyrenees mountains

India Today  

From polluting the depths of the Mariana Trench to the top of Mount Everest, microplastics have now infiltrated the clean air as well. A team of researchers have found these plastic particles invading the air surrounding Pic du Midi at an altitude of 2,877 meter in the French Pyrenees. Researchers found microplastic concentration of approximately one particle per four cubic …

From Mount Everest to Mariana Trench: Study Finds Plastic in 'Clean' Air
3 years ago

From Mount Everest to Mariana Trench: Study Finds Plastic in 'Clean' Air

News 18  

From Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench, microplastics are everywhere – even high in the Earth’s troposphere where wind speeds allow them to travel vast distances, a study showed Tuesday. Scientists from the French national research institute CNRS sampled air 2,877 meters above sea level at the Pic du Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees, a so-called “clean station” because …

Microplastics circulating in the atmosphere are causing 'plastification' of the world: Study
3 years, 8 months ago

Microplastics circulating in the atmosphere are causing 'plastification' of the world: Study

Firstpost  

The amount of microplastic polluting the atmosphere is alarming, as per the study, and circulating everywhere including the oceans. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study states that microplastics may be suspended in the air and have patterns of distribution similar to biogeochemical cycles like water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur cycles, which …

Microplastics in air ‘spiral the globe’, pollution study finds
3 years, 8 months ago

Microplastics in air ‘spiral the globe’, pollution study finds

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It’s from what we’ve already dumped into the environment over several decades.” “Under the right conditions, plastics can be …

New Pollution Threat? Russian Scientists are Collecting Samples of Snow Containing Microplastics
3 years, 9 months ago

New Pollution Threat? Russian Scientists are Collecting Samples of Snow Containing Microplastics

News 18  

Russian scientists are trying to understand the scale of a potential threat to the environment in Siberia: snow polluted with microplastics that then melts and seeps into the ground. Scientists at Tomsk State University say they have gathered snow samples from 20 different Siberian regions – from the Altai mountains to the Arctic – and that their preliminary findings confirm …

Microplastics discovered near the peak of Mount Everest
4 years, 1 month ago

Microplastics discovered near the peak of Mount Everest

ABC  

The once-pristine mountain environment of Mount Everest is now littered with everything from oxygen cannisters to the bodies of climbers. Key points: Researchers found microplastics at all 19 sites sampled on Mount Everest This is the highest altitude microplastics have been discovered at The source is believed to be climbers, however atmospheric transfer can't be ruled out Scientists studying plastic …

Researchers Find Microplastics on Top of the World at Everest
4 years, 1 month ago

Researchers Find Microplastics on Top of the World at Everest

News 18  

Traces of microplastics have been found close to the top of Mount Everest, a study showed Friday, likely originating from equipment used by the hundreds of climbers who summit the world’s highest peak every year. Fluorescent tents, discarded climbing equipment, empty gas canisters and even frozen excrement have long littered the well-trodden route to the 8,848-metre high summit, earning it …

World's Sea Floor is Littered With a Staggering 14 Million Tonnes of Microplastics, Reveals Study
4 years, 2 months ago

World's Sea Floor is Littered With a Staggering 14 Million Tonnes of Microplastics, Reveals Study

News 18  

The world’s sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to Australia’s national science agency. “We were surprised to observe high microplastic loads in such a remote location.” The scientists, who published their findings in peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science, said areas …

14 million tonnes of microplastics on sea floor: study
4 years, 2 months ago

14 million tonnes of microplastics on sea floor: study

The Hindu  

The world's sea floor is littered with an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics, broken down from the masses of rubbish entering the oceans every year, according to Australia's national science agency. “We were surprised to observe high microplastic loads in such a remote location.” The scientists, who published their findings in peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science, said areas …

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