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ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Article . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Microplastic Aerosols as Cloud Condensation Nuclei: Implications for Precipitation Patterns, Cloud Microphysics, and Regional Climate Feedback

Authors: Prof. Sumaiya Banu; Mohammed Akheeel; Maaz Khan; Md Mahtab Farhan; Mohammed Arshad;

Microplastic Aerosols as Cloud Condensation Nuclei: Implications for Precipitation Patterns, Cloud Microphysics, and Regional Climate Feedback

Abstract

The global proliferation of microplastic particles — polymer fragments smaller than 5 mm originating from the degradation of synthetic materials — has been extensively studied in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. However, an emergent and critically underexplored dimension of microplastic pollution concerns their behavior as aerosols in the upper troposphere. This paper presents the novel hypothesis, supported by recent experimental data and atmospheric modeling, that airborne microplastic particles function as highly effective Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN), fundamentally altering cloud droplet size distributions, precipitation efficiency, and regional energy budgets. By synthesizing field measurements from high-altitude atmospheric sampling campaigns (2023–2026), laboratory nucleation experiments, and regional climate model outputs, we demonstrate that microplastic CCN suppress drizzle formation in low-altitude stratocumulus clouds while simultaneously enhancing convective precipitation intensity in continental interiors — a bifurcated effect with profound implications for water security in drought-prone and flood-vulnerable regions alike. This study examines the physicochemical properties governing microplastic hygroscopicity, including surface weathering, electrostatic charge accumulation, and organic coating acquisition, and maps these properties to established CCN activation theory. We further identify a feedback mechanism ‘Plastic-Induced Cloud Brightening' (PICB) wherein certain polymer types elevate cloud albedo in coastal marine boundary layers, producing a localized but measurable radiative cooling offset. The paper concludes that microplastic aerosols constitute an unaccounted anthropogenic forcing term in current climate models, and that their continued atmospheric accumulation represents both a biogeochemical and a meteorological emergency. Regulatory frameworks and atmospheric monitoring protocols must urgently be revised to incorporate this poorly constrained but consequential variable.

Keywords

Microplastic aerosols, cloud condensation nuclei, precipitation modification, cloud microphysics, plastic-induced cloud brightening (PICB), hygroscopicity, polymer weathering, atmospheric microplastics, climate feedback, aerosol-cloud interaction, regional hydrology, CCN activation, anthropogenic forcing, stratocumulus, convective precipitation

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Green