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Microplastic data on microplastics in forest soils
Summary
Scientists tested forest soils in Germany and found that microplastic levels varied a lot from place to place, depending on things like soil chemistry and the type of forest growing there. This matters because forests aren't as untouched as we might think—tiny plastic particles are working their way into the ground beneath trees, and understanding what drives this buildup is a first step toward figuring out how these plastics might eventually reach our food and water supplies.
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