Funding program Leibniz Cooperative Excellence: AirPlast
Abundance and Fate of Synthetic Materials in Atmospheric sub-10 µm Particles
Depositions of microplastics are a risk for ecosystems as well as our health. Many studies investigate the occurrence of microplastics in water. This project has the ambitious goal to analyze whether microplastics are also deposited in the atmosphere as aerosols and in what quantity this might be the case. Atmospheric microplastic particles might act as condensation cores which could influence atmospheric processes. Because this area is understudied, the researches will have to develop novel analysis methods. They will also identify the sources of atmospheric microplastic deposits and their results will contribute substantially to our understanding of the risks of microplastics in the atmosphere. (Leibniz-TROPOS, Helmholtz-UFZ, TU Berlin, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg)
(Dr. D. Fischer, M. Schumacher)
05/2022 - 04/2025
JPI Oceans: microplastiX
Integrated approach on the fate of MicroPlastics towards healthy marine ecosystems
(KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden + 14 international partners)
IPF sub-project: characterisation of weathered microplastics, automated microplastic analysis of marine samples with FTIR- and Raman microspectroscopy
(Dr. D. Fischer, Dr. F. Fischer, R. Lenz, J. Muche)
04/2020 - 03/2023
https://www.microplastix.org/