Microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic that can cause harm to marine animals and ecosystems, have been a topic of concern for environmentalists. It is difficult to determine how widespread the problem is as it is hard to track every piece of plastic in the ocean.Researchers are now using a NASA satellite for tracking how plastics move through the ocean. The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System is a group of eight satellites designed, as the name implies, to track hurricanes and understand how they form. Researchers at the University of Michigan discovered that they could use satellite data to track microplastics globally and zoom in on specific areas for high-resolution information.Chris Ruf, senior author, stated that although we are still in the early stages of this research, I believe it can make a significant impact on how we manage and track microplastic pollution.As part of hurricane monitoring, the satellites already measured the roughness of ocean surface. Ruf and his colleagues discovered that they could use this data to identify areas that look smoother than they should given the wind speed. This is a good indicator of the presence microplastic and allows them to track this issue worldwide.Ruf stated that we had been measuring the surface roughness of the water and using them for wind speed measurements. We knew that the presence or absence of certain substances in the water can alter its response to the environment. So, I thought it would be a good idea to do the entire thing backwards and use changes in responsiveness as a way of predicting the presence of stuff in water.These results showed that microplastics concentrations change with the seasons and congregate in places such as the Great Pacific Garbage patch. The study also revealed that the Yangtze River's mouth, Asia's longest river, had a high concentration microplastics. This was previously believed to be the primary source of microplastics. However, new evidence has shown that this is not the case.Ruf stated that it is one thing to suspect microplastic pollution but quite another to actually see it happen. Microplastics data from the past is so limited that it's hard to find repeatable snapshots.Recommendations of Editors
