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Microplastic data on microplastics in forest soils
Summary
Scientists analyzed soil from German forests and found that microplastic amounts varied widely from spot to spot, depending on things like soil chemistry and how the forest itself is structured. This matters because forests are often seen as "clean" natural areas, but this research shows plastic pollution is creeping in even there—meaning the food grown near forests and the water filtering through this soil could be affected too. This dataset itself doesn't test human health effects, but it helps build the bigger picture of how far plastic pollution has spread into our environment.
Within this dataset I provide data on microplastic particles extracted from forest soils (Hesse, Germany). The data corresponds to a planned publication entitled: "High Variability of Microplastic Concentrations in Forest Soils Driven by Soil Properties and Forest Structure" authored by O. Heberer, K. Lügger, C. Heller and C.J. Weber. The dataset includes the following: ir_audit_merged_MP_data.csv = Microplastic data including polymer identification, identification score, particle size and morphology descriptors (numeric) based on FPA-µFTIR chemical imaging and data anlysis using microparticlesAI (Hufnagl Chemometrics GmbH)MP_conc_stocks_data.csv = Microplastic concentrations and microplastic stocks calculated from microplastic data and soil features (horizon thickness and soil bulk density) for each soil horizon ltsm_soil_data_export.csv = Export of basic soil data from the Hessian long term soil monitoring programm (LTSM) with permission of the Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology, Wiesbaden, Germany (2026) including data on soil pH, TOC, N and texture for each horizon