Proyecto de Investigación: CTM2016-74927-C2-1-R
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CTM2016-74927-C2-1-R
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Occurrence and transport of microplastics sampled within and above the planetary boundary layer
(Elsevier BV, 2021-03-20) González Pleiter, M.; Edo, C.; Aguilera, Á.; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Pulido Reyes, G.; González Toril, Elena; De Diego Castilla, Graciela; Leganés, F.; Fernández Piñas, F.; Rosal, R.; Osuna Esteban, Susana; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); 0000-0003-0816-8775; 0000-0003-0340-7327; 0000-0002-7674-4167
Nowadays, there is no direct evidence about the presence of microplastics (MPs) in the atmosphere above ground level. Here, we investigated the occurrence, chemical composition, shape, and size of MPs in aircraft sampling campaigns flying within and above the planetary boundary layer (PBL). The results showed that MPs were present with concentrations ranging from 1.5 MPs m−3 above rural areas to 13.9 MPs m−3 above urban areas. MPs represented up to almost one third of the total amount of microparticles collected. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy allowed identifying seven types of MPs with the highest diversity corresponding to urban areas. Atmospheric transport and deposition simulations were performed using the HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. Air mass trajectory analyses showed that MPs could be transported more than 1000 km before being deposited. This pioneer study is the first evidence of the microplastic presence above PBL and their potential long-range transport from their point of release even crossing distant borders.
Viable Microorganisms on Fibers Collected within and beyond the Planetary Boundary Layer
(ACS Publications, 2020-08-25) González Pleiter, M.; Edo, C.; Casero Chamorro, M. C.; Aguilera, Á.; González Toril, Elena; Wierzchos, J.; Leganés, F.; Fernández Piñas, F.; Rosal, R.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); González Pleiter, M. [0000-0002-7674-4167]; Casero, M. C. [0000-0002-0611-4776]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
Fibers are found in all environments. However, the impact of their presence on ecosystems and human health is not yet well understood, especially in the case of the atmosphere. In this work, we presented evidence that fibers traveling through the atmosphere act as vectors to spread microorganisms. Here, we investigated the presence of viable microorganisms on fibers collected within and beyond the planetary boundary layer during flights of C-212 aircraft over Central Spain. In total, seven fibers, six of which transported viable microorganisms, were isolated in two flights. The viability of the microorganisms was determined by confocal microscopy by means of the fluorescent probes SYBR-Green to detect microorganisms and CTC redox dye to assess their cellular respiration activity. The fibers that transported viable microorganisms were spectroscopically analyzed by micro-FTIR and identified as wool-silk and cellulose-cotton. Taken together, the results demonstrated that fibers host viable microorganisms when traveling through the lower free troposphere.
