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Quantification of wind-driven MP mobilisation potential in semi-arid regions in Kazakhstan using wind tunnel experiments
Summary
Researchers used wind tunnel experiments to quantify wind-driven microplastic mobilisation potential in the semi-arid steppe landscape of northeastern Kazakhstan, finding that the loess soils, flat terrain, and erosive climate create conditions for significant aeolian MP emission particularly as modern agricultural intensification increases plastic inputs.
The northeastern steppe landscape of Kazakhstan, with its loess soils, flat terrain, and erosive climate, is highly susceptible to aeolian processes, which can lead to extensive and variable soil mobilisation and deposition. Although agricultural activity has been low in recent decades, the introduction of modern practices has intensified agriculture, potentially leading to greater plastic emissions from irrigation and plant growth and protection systems. Despite extensive global research on microplastics (MP,
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