Microplastics and nanoplastics are widely known for contaminating oceans, rivers, and farmland. New research now shows they are also accumulating in forests. Geoscientists at TU Darmstadt report this finding in a study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, highlighting a largely overlooked form of environmental pollution. The study reveals that forests are not just affected […]
India is home to the world’s most polluted city, according to IQAir’s newly released World Air Quality Report. Only 14 per cent of cities worldwide breathe safe air, a drop from 17 per cent in the previous year. Swiss pollution monitoring company IQAir analysed data from 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories, for […]
An international team led by researchers at the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has found that Antarctica’s only native insect is already consuming microplastics, despite living in one of the most isolated places on Earth. The findings, published in Science of the Total Environment, mark the first study to investigate how […]
A new study has warned that liquid crystal monomers from electronic devices are accumulating in the organs of endangered marine species. Potentially toxic chemicals from everyday electronic items have been detected in marine life in what scientists describe as an urgent “wake-up call”. Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are critical components of devices you probably have […]
Chemicals introduced to shield the ozone layer are now tied to an unexpected environmental consequence. A new study shows that these substances have helped spread large amounts of a long-lasting and potentially harmful forever chemical across the planet. Researchers in atmospheric science, led by a team at Lancaster University, have calculated for the first time […]
Over the past 20 years, scientists have increasingly identified microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) as a growing form of environmental pollution. These tiny plastic particles have been detected throughout all major parts of the Earth system, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Their widespread distribution has made plastics a rising concern for researchers studying […]
Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University set out to understand how polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) used on farmland eventually reaches beaches and ocean waters. By examining PCF debris collected from shorelines across Japan, they found that very little fertilizer plastic returns to land through rivers. Only about 0.2% of the PCFs applied in nearby areas were detected […]
Scientists are raising new concerns after a study found that microplastics are interfering with the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, a process that plays a vital role in regulating Earth’s temperature. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles measuring less than five millimeters. Over time, they have spread across nearly every part of the planet. Researchers […]
Scientists have linked the burning of fossil fuels to the ongoing acidification of the ocean. Sharks are the most feared predators in the sea, and their survival hinges on fearsome teeth that regrow throughout their lives. But changes in the ocean’s chemistry could put those weapons at risk. That is the takeaway from a study […]
Researchers have found that microplastics drifting through rivers, lakes, and oceans constantly release a complex blend of dissolved organic chemicals into the water. This chemical leakage continues over time and becomes much more intense when plastics are exposed to sunlight. The new findings offer the most detailed molecular-level picture so far of how microplastic-derived dissolved […]
