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Microplastic pollution rained down on Canada during a hurricane

When Hurricane Larry struck Newfoundland in 2021, large amounts of microplastic fell from the sky, probably because the storm travelled over an ocean garbage patch

By Carolyn Wilke

7 December 2023

Satellite image of Hurricane Larry over the Atlantic Ocean on 8 September 2021

AP Photo / Alamy

In September 2021, Hurricane Larry pelted Newfoundland, in Canada, with strong winds and torrential rain. It also rained down microplastics — up to five times as many particles fell on days during the storm as those before or after.

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Scientists warn of 'alarming' rise in ocean microplastic pollution

A hurricane’s impacts on microplastic deposition hadn’t been studied before, says Anna Ryan at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. She and her colleagues took…

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