Dominance of local emission intensity over air-mass origin in PM₁₀-bound atmospheric microplastics: Insights from HYSPLIT analysis in Peninsular Malaysia

Authors

  • Mohd Rosiskada Mohamed Department of Environment
  • Sara Yasina Yusuf
  • Nor Ruwaida Jamian

Keywords:

Atmospheric microplastics, HYSPLIT trajectory analysis, Monsoon dynamics, Bound microplastics, Southeast Asia, Urban air quality, Source attribution

Abstract

This study investigates the relative roles of air-mass origin and local emission intensity in controlling PM₁₀-bound atmospheric microplastic (AMP) concentrations across five locations in Peninsular Malaysia using HYSPLIT back-trajectory analysis. A total of 30 sampling events were analysed during the Northeast and Southwest monsoon periods. AMP concentrations showed significant spatial variability (p < 0.001) but no dependence on monsoon phase or trajectory cluster. Wind speed exhibited a significant negative association (ρ = −0.514, p = 0.004), while regression analysis explained 41.6% of AMP variability (R² = 0.416), identifying wind speed and PP proportion as dominant predictors. These findings highlight the dominance of local emissions and atmospheric dispersion over regional transport in controlling AMP concentrations.

Author Biographies

Sara Yasina Yusuf

Senior lecturer at Sustainable Environment Research Group (SERG), Centre of Excellence Geopolymer and Green Technology (CeGeoGTech), Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia

Nor Ruwaida Jamian

Senior Lecturer at Air Resources Research Laboratory, Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, 54100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Published

02-07-2026

How to Cite

Mohamed, M. R., Yusuf, S. Y. ., & Jamian, N. R. (2026). Dominance of local emission intensity over air-mass origin in PM₁₀-bound atmospheric microplastics: Insights from HYSPLIT analysis in Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Industrial Applications, 5(1). Retrieved from https://jetia.ttasmbot.org.my/index.php/jetia/article/view/160

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Journal of Emerging Technologies and Industrial Applications

Section

Articles