Miriam Freedman's research group studies phase transitions of aerosol particles, ice nucleation, and other topics at the interface of physical chemistry, surface science, and atmospheric chemistry. She began her independent career at the Pennsylvania State University in 2010, where she is currently a Professor.
Clouds form when water vapor — an invisible gas in the atmosphere — sticks to tiny floating particles, such as dust, and turns into liquid water droplets or ice crystals. In a newly published study, we show that microplastic particles can have the same effects, producing ice crystals at temperatures 5 to 10 degrees Celsius warmer than droplets without microplastics.
Microplastics are less than 5 millimeters wide — about the size of a pencil eraser. Some are microscopic. Scientists have found them in Antarctic deep seas, the summit of Mount Everest and fresh Antarctic snow. Because these fragments are so small, they can be easily transported in the air. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Many cloud tops in nontropical zones around the world extend high enough into the atmosphere that cold air causes some of their moisture to freeze. Then, once ice forms, it draws water vapor from the liquid droplets around it, and the crystals grow heavy enough to fall. If ice doesn't develop, clouds tend to evaporate rather than causing rain or snowfall.
Clouds also affect weather and climate in several ways. They reflect incoming sunlight away from Earth's surface, which has a cooling effect, and absorb some radiation that is emitted from Earth's surface, which has a warming effect. We suspended the microplastics in small water droplets and slowly cooled the droplets to observe when they froze. We also analyzed the plastic fragments' surfaces to determine their molecular structure, since ice nucleation could depend on the microplastics' surface chemistry.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Firerose Admits She Would Have Run From Billy Ray Cyrus If She CouldSinger Firerose, recently divorced from country star Billy Ray Cyrus, shared her regrets about their whirlwind romance and marriage in a new interview. While reflecting on their relationship, she admitted to Stellar magazine that she wishes she had 'run in the opposite direction' when they first met over a decade ago.
Read more »
Chrissy Teigen Says She ‘Didn’t Know’ She Was Having an Abortion with Late Son JackChrissy Teigen spoke about losing her late son Jack while sharing her 2020 abortion experience in a speech at a rally supporting the right-to-abortion initiative, Proposition 139, in Phoenix on Sunday, Oct. 27.
Read more »
Cardi B Says She's Hospitalized Following 'Medical Emergency' as She Cancels Festival PerformanceCardi B canceled her performance at ONE Musicfest, which was slated to take place on Oct. 26, due to a medical emergency.
Read more »
California Sen. Laphonza Butler says she's doing everything she can to elect Kamala HarrisAs her time in the Senate winds down, California Sen. Laphonza Butler says she's proud of what she's accomplished and she's doing everything she can to elect Kamala Harris as president.
Read more »
Miss Manners: She says she ‘now has money’ but she won’t tell me where she got itPlus: What could I have said during this unsettling hair salon incident?
Read more »
She said she had a miscarriage — then got arrested under an abortion lawThe 1911 Nevada statute is one of a wide variety of laws that have been used in rare cases across the country to prosecute women for trying to end a pregnancy.
Read more »