Rainfall-induced lateral and vertical microplastic transport of varying sizes in agricultural fields

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68407700%3A21110%2F25%3A00385124" target="_blank" >RIV/68407700:21110/25:00385124 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EM00304K" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EM00304K</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D5EM00304K" target="_blank" >10.1039/D5EM00304K</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Rainfall-induced lateral and vertical microplastic transport of varying sizes in agricultural fields

Original language description

Agricultural soils, particularly those utilizing plastic products for crop production, are increasingly recognized as sources of microplastics (MPs) to aquatic ecosystems. In this research, we investigate the transport of polyethylene MPs of three different size ranges (53-63 μm, 125-150 μm and 425-500 μm) in an agricultural soil during a plot-based rainfall simulation. Using a combination of fluorescent particles and high-frequency photography, we tracked the number of MPs on the soil surface throughout the rainfall simulation, measured the depth MPs migrated into the soil profile and the number of MPs which were transported in surface runoff. Our results show that MPs had dynamic movement on the soil surface throughout the rainfall simulation. Approximately 20% of MPs sized 125-150 μm and 425-500 μm were exported from the plot in surface runoff with the remaining 80% of MPs thought to be retained in the soil. No significant differences were found in the number of MPs transported in surface runoff between MPs sized 125-150 μm and 425-500 μm. Microplastics were found to be enriched in eroded sediments. Microplastics of all sizes 53-63 μm, 125-150 μm and 425-500 μm were found in soil as deep as 8 cm with the majority of MPs found in the 0-2 cm soil depth. Results from this research not only indicate that MPs are quite mobile both vertically and laterally during rainfall events but also show that soils effectively retain and accumulate a sizeable proportion of MPs during heavy rainfall events.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

40104 - Soil science

Project

—

Continuities

R - Projekt Ramcoveho programu EK

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts

ISSN

2050-7887

e-ISSN

2050-7895

Volume of the periodical

27

Issue of the periodical within the volume

9

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

2968-2981

UT code for WoS article

001563161100001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105016310230