Dataset for: Fe oxides control the vulnerability of paddy soils to microplastic-induced carbon loss

Summary

This study found that iron compounds in rice paddy soil help protect against carbon loss when tiny plastic particles (microplastics) are present. When these iron compounds are lacking, microplastics can cause more carbon to escape from the soil as CO2 gas. This matters because healthy soil carbon storage is important for growing nutritious food and fighting climate change, but microplastics from pollution could be disrupting this natural process.