Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 16 august 2019
Pure as snow? Scientists say air carrying plastics to Arctic

By FRANK JORDANS On average, the research-
Associated Press ers found 1,800 particles
BERLIN (AP) — Scientists say per liter in the samples tak-
they've found an abun- en from that region.
dance of tiny plastic parti- Martin Wagner, a biologist
cles in Arctic snow, indicat- at the Norwegian University
ing that so-called micro- of Science and Technol-
plastics are being sucked ogy who wasn't involved
into the atmosphere and with the study, said the
carried long distances to extremely high concentra-
some of the remotest cor- tions could be partly attrib-
ners of the planet. uted to the methods the
The researchers examined researchers used, which
snow collected from sites allowed them to identify
in the Arctic, northern Ger- microplastics as small as
many, the Bavarian and 11 micrometers, or 0.011
Swiss Alps and the North millimeters — less than the
Sea island of Heligoland width of a human hair.
with a process specially "This is significant because
designed to analyze their most studies so far looked
samples in a lab. at much larger microplas-
"While we did expect to tics," he said. "Based on
find microplastics, the that, I would conclude that
enormous concentrations we very much underesti-
surprised us," Melanie Berg- mate the actual microplas-
mann, a researcher at the This undated photo provided by the 'Helmholtz centre for polar and marine research the Alfred tics levels in the environ-
Alfred-Wegener-Institute in Wegener institute' shows snow samples from Tschuggen, Switzerland, locked and ready for ment."
Bremerhaven, Germany, transport to Davos. "Importantly, the study
said. Associated Press demonstrates that atmo-
Their findings were pub- spheric transport is a rel-
lished Wednesday in the The research demonstrat- to determine what effect, (0.26 gallons.) evant process moving mi-
journal Science Advances. ed the fragments may be- if any, the minute particles Although the Arctic sam- croplastics around, poten-
Previous studies have found come airborne in a way have on humans or wildlife. ples were less contaminat- tially over long ranges and
microplastics — which are similar to dust, pollen and Bergmann, who co-au- ed, the third-highest con- on a global scale," Wagner
created when man-made fine particulate matter thored the study, said the centration in the samples added. "Also, snow may be
materials break apart and from vehicle exhausts. highest concentrations of the researchers analyzed an important reservoir stor-
defined as pieces smaller While there's growing con- microplastics were found in — 14,000 particles per liter ing microplastics and re-
than 5 millimeters — in the cern about the environ- the Bavarian Alps, with one — came from an ice floe in leasing it during snow melt,
air of Paris, Tehran and mental impact of micro- sample having more than the Fram Strait off eastern something that has not
Dongguan, China. plastics, scientists have yet 150,000 particles per 1 liter Greenland, she said. been looked at before."q

Scientists confirm July set

new global heat record

By FRANK JORDANS Last month's temperatures The record temperatures
BERLIN (AP) — July was the narrowly topped the previ- notched up in July were
hottest month measured ous July record, set in 2016, accompanied with other
on Earth since records be- by 0.03 C (0.05 F). major landmarks. Average
gan in 1880, the latest in a The results had been ex- Arctic sea ice, for exam-
long line of peaks that sci- pected after several Euro- ple, was almost 20% below
entists say backs up pre- pean countries including average in July, less even
dictions for man-made cli- France, Belgium and Ger- than the previous historic
In this file photo dated Thursday, July 25, 2019, a bird sits on a mate change. many reported that July low of July 2012.
straw bale on a field in Frankfurt, Germany, as the sun rises dur- The U.S. National Oceanic smashed previous national The July peaks came hot on
ing an ongoing heatwave in Europe. and Atmospheric Admin- temperature records. The the heels of a sizzling June,
Associated Press
istration said Thursday that Swedish hamlet of Markus- which ended up being the
July was 0.95 degrees Cel- vinsa recorded a sizzling hottest June recorded over
sius (1.71 degrees Fahren- 34.8 C (94.6 F), the high- the past 140 years.
heit) warmer than the 20th est temperature measured The year to date is also 0.95
century average of 15.8 C north of the Arctic Circle. C (1.71 F) above the long-
(60.4 F) for the month. According to NOAA's re- term average, still slightly
Because July is generally cords, 9 of the 10 hottest behind 2016 and on a par
the warmest month on the Julys on record have oc- with 2017, NOAA said.
calendar, meteorologists curred since 2005 and last Meteorologists expect 2019
say this means it also set month was the 43rd con- won't beat the current re-
a new all-time monthly re- secutive July above the cord for warmest year, set
cord for the past 140 years. 20th century average. in 2016.q