Differences in microplastic degradation in the atmosphere and coastal water environment from two island nations: Japan and New Zealand

Microplastics are subject to environmental forces that can change polymer organization on a molecular scale. However, it is not clear to what extent these changes occur in the environment and whether microplastics in the atmospheric and water environment differ. Here we identify structural differences between microplastics in the atmosphere and water environment from Japan and New Zealand, representing two archipelagos differing in their proximity to nearby countries and highly populated areas. We first highlight the propensity for smaller microplastics to arrive via air masses from the Asian continent to the Japan Sea coastal area, while New Zealand received larger, locally derived microplastics. Analyses of polyethylene in the Japanese atmosphere indicate that microplastics transported to the Japanese coastal areas were more crystalline than polyethylene particles in the water, suggesting that the plastics arriving by air were relatively more aged and brittle. By contrast, polypropylene particles in New Zealand waters were more degraded than the microplastic particles in the air. Due to the lack of abundance, both polyethylene and polypropylene could not be analyzed for both countries. Nevertheless, these findings show the structural variation in microplastics between environments in markedly different real-world locations, with implications for the toxic potential of these particles. [Display omitted] •Japan receives atmospheric microplastics from the Asian continent.•New Zealand likely receives microplastics locally.•Microplastics in air and water environments differ by polymer chain organization.•Polyethylene in atmospheric samples is more crystalline.