A satellite system designed to monitor hurricanes could reveal where harmful microplastics are accumulating in the ocean. A new study now shows why. In 2021, researchers from the University of Michigan and the Southwest Research Institute confirmed that the spacecraft Cyclone global navigation satellite system can distinguish areas with higher concentrations of microplastics in the ocean.

About 333 miles (536 kilometers) above orbit World these satellites can see strange patches in the ocean with increasingly fewer waves, appearing as areas of high concentrations of microplastic on the surface. In a new study, researchers discovered exactly what happens in water saturated with microplastics, and they hope the results will make a new method of satellite tracking more reliable.

Microplastics are a huge environmental problem. These tiny bits of plastic waste less than 5 millimeters contaminate the entire planet, including the bodies of humans and animals on every continent and ocean. Microplastics have been found in the food we eat as well as in drinking water. In the world’s oceans, microplastics are particularly harmful. According to the University of Plymouth There are trillions of micro-plastic particles polluting the marine environment in the UK and ingested by all kinds of sea creatures, from the smallest plankton to giant whales. Cleaning up these small pieces of rubble is particularly difficult because of their small size, and until recently, tracking them was also difficult, as scientists had to rely on scattered eyewitness testimonies.

A new satellite tracking method could improve tracking of microplastics, simplifying cleanup efforts.

In a new study, researchers from the University of Michigan wanted to test why water heavily contaminated with microplastics produces smaller waves. In the laboratory, they conducted experiments by creating artificial waves in a small pool. They found that the reason for this reduced wave size in polluted water is not only microplastics, but also the presence of surfactants, oily chemicals often added to this plastic to alter its properties.

“We see a correlation between surface roughness and the presence of microplastics and surfactants,” he said in a statement. Yulin Pan is associate professor in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan and author of the article (opens in a new tab). “The goal now is to understand the precise relationship between the three variables.”

The researchers want to develop a model that will allow them to not only monitor microplastics from space, but also predict the movement of plastic-contaminated water in the ocean.