Articles | Volume 18, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-8827-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-8827-2025
Development and technical paper
 | 
21 Nov 2025
Development and technical paper |  | 21 Nov 2025

Description and evaluation of airborne microplastics in the United Kingdom Earth System Model (UKESM1.1) using GLOMAP-mode

Cameron McErlich, Felix Goddard, Alex Aves, Catherine Hardacre, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Alan J. Hewitt, and Laura E. Revell

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Cited articles

Abbasi, S., Jaafarzadeh, N., Zahedi, A., Ravanbakhsh, M., Abbaszadeh, S., and Turner, A.: Microplastics in the atmosphere of Ahvaz City, Iran, Journal of Environmental Sciences, 126, 95–102, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2022.02.044, 2023a. a
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Short summary
Airborne microplastics are a new air pollutant but are not yet included in most global models. We add them to the UK Earth System Model to show how they move, change, and are removed from air. Smaller microplastics persist for longer and can travel further, even to Antarctica. While their current role in air pollution is small, their presence is expected to grow in future. This work offers a framework to assess future impacts of microplastics on air quality and climate.
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