Articles | Volume 4, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-4-345-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-4-345-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Jul 2026
Research article |
| 20 Jul 2026
| 20 Jul 2026
From seeding to detachment: leveraging deep learning to quantify the transport of tyre wear microplastics in a wind tunnel
Bashir Olasunkanmi Ayinde
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Micrometeorology Group, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Wolfgang Babel
Micrometeorology Group, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Bayreuth Centre for Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Johannes Olesch
Micrometeorology Group, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Bayreuth Centre for Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Daniel Wagner
Department of Macromolecular Chemistry II, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Seema Agarwal
Department of Macromolecular Chemistry II, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Christian Laforsch
Chair of Animal Ecology I, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Julian Brehm
Chair of Animal Ecology I, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Anke Nölscher
Atmospheric Chemistry, Bayreuth Centre of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
now at: Institute of Climate and Energy Systems, ICE-3: Troposphere, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
now at: Institute of Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Christoph Karl Thomas
Micrometeorology Group, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
Bayreuth Centre for Ecology and Environmental Research, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4553–4579, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4553-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4553-2024, 2024
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Short summary
The dynamics of how tyre wear particles behave prior to their entrainment are still poorly understood. In wind tunnel experiments, the particle detachment from an idealized glass substrate was monitored. For particle sizes above 80 μm, smaller and more rounded particles were mobilized by wind shear first, whereas larger and more angular particles require stronger wind shear, highlighting strong surface adhesion and particle morphology as the major factors influencing microplastic detachment.
The dynamics of how tyre wear particles behave prior to their entrainment are still poorly...
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