In 2021, as Hurricane Larry battered Newfoundland, a group of university students from Halifax ventured to a rural area in its path to investigate the possibility of the ocean propelling microplastics into the atmosphere and dispersing them through the air to otherwise untouched communities.
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Hurricane
Anna Ryan, the lead researcher and a master’s student in environmental science at Dalhousie University, expressed, “It was such an unexpected outcome.” To test their hypothesis, Ryan and a fellow student deployed a large glass cylinder, essentially capturing air, near St. Michaels, a small community on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. Over six-hour intervals, the vessel gathered samples before, during, and after the September storm.
The highest concentration of microplastics emerged in samples collected during the hurricane, surpassing 100,000 particles per square meter per day—a quantity Ryan deemed significantly higher than any other study on atmospheric microplastics. Their findings, published in the prestigious journal Nature, unveiled the unforeseen impact of hurricanes on microplastic distribution.
Microplastics, fragments smaller than five millimeters resulting from larger plastic degradation or particle shedding from items like water bottles, plastic packaging, and synthetic clothing, have typically been considered to accumulate in the ocean. However, Ryan suggested that the ocean may not be the definitive repository for these particles.
Microplastic pollution is a growing global concern, detected in various environments worldwide. It poses risks to human and animal health, as well as overall ecosystem well-being, even though the extent of the damage remains unclear. The minute size of the particles, 20 to 30 times smaller than a human hair’s width, increases the risk of ingestion or inhalation.
Ryan’s research focused on Hurricane Larry, a Category 1 storm that followed a trajectory offshore of the eastern seaboard before making landfall in Newfoundland. The hurricane provided a unique opportunity as it did not traverse major urban areas, conventionally considered primary sources of airborne microplastics. Instead, it passed over ocean regions, including the North Atlantic “garbage patch” south of Newfoundland, where currents accumulate high concentrations of plastics.
All 11 samples collected during the experiment revealed the presence of microplastics, with peak levels during the hurricane exceeding five-and-a-half times the average levels before and after the storm. According to Tony Walker, a co-author and professor at Dalhousie, this study stands out globally, as few comparable investigations exist.
Another ongoing study by Justine Ammendolia, a Dalhousie PhD student, examines the impact of post-tropical storm Fiona on atmospheric microplastics. Her preliminary findings, encompassing 14 different types of microplastics, parallel the significance of Ryan’s work. Both researchers advocate for reducing single-use plastics to mitigate environmental contamination and emphasize the importance of such studies in instigating meaningful change at various levels.
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