Microplastics Enhance Clouds' Ice Formation

This is a Fahrenheit news story, published by Live Science, that relates primarily to Miriam Freedman's news.

Fahrenheit news

For more Fahrenheit news, you can click here:

more Fahrenheit news

Miriam Freedman's news

For more Miriam Freedman's news, you can click here:

more Miriam Freedman's news

physics news

For more physics news, you can click here:

more physics news

Live Science news

For more news from Live Science, you can click here:

more news from Live Science

About the Otherweb

Otherweb, Inc is a public benefit corporation, dedicated to improving the quality of news people consume. We are non-partisan, junk-free, and ad-free. We use artificial intelligence (AI) to remove junk from your news feed, and allow you to select the best science news, business news, entertainment news, and much more. If you like physics news, you might also like this article about

ice particles

. We are dedicated to bringing you the highest-quality news, junk-free and ad-free, about your favorite topics. Please come every day to read the latest aerosol particles news, ice nucleation activity news, physics news, and other high-quality news about any topic that interests you. We are working hard to create the best news aggregator on the web, and to put you in control of your news feed - whether you choose to read the latest news through our website, our news app, or our daily newsletter - all free!

microplastic particles

Live Science

•

Microplastics may be entering the clouds and affecting the weather, scientists say

Summary

Nutrition label

82% Informative

Clouds form when water vapor sticks to tiny floating particles, such as dust, and turns into liquid water droplets.

Microplastic particles can have the same effects, producing ice crystals at temperatures 5 to 10 degrees Celsius ( 9 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit ) warmer than droplets without microplastics.

Ice in clouds has important effects on weather and climate because most precipitation typically starts as ice particles.

Miriam Freedman's research group studies phase transitions of aerosol particles, ice nucleation, and other topics at the interface of physical chemistry, surface science, and atmospheric chemistry. She began her independent career at the Pennsylvania State University in 2010 , where she is currently a Professor. Previously, she received her BA from Swarthmore College , MS in Mathematics from the University of Minnesota , and her MS and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Chicago ..