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Low plastic pollution at the world's largest sandy desert

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 2024 Score: 35 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Carlos Duarte, Carlos Duarte Carlos Duarte, Carlos Duarte Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Martin Cecilia, Martin Cecilia, Martin Cecilia, Martin Cecilia, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Susana Agustí, Susana Agustí, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Fadiyah M. Baalkhuyur, Susana Agustí, Susana Agustí, Carlos Duarte Carlos Duarte, Carlos Duarte, Carlos Duarte

Summary

Researchers assessed plastic litter in the Rub Al Khali, the world's largest sandy desert spanning 500,000 km2 across the Arabian Peninsula, combining drone-based macrolitter surveys with microplastic sampling across dunes. Despite bordering major cities, the desert showed low plastic pollution levels, interpreted in the context of aeolian transport dynamics and the region's sparse human activity.

The Rub Al Khale (ëmpty quarter)̈ is the largest sandy desert in work, located in the Arbian Peninsula where it extends across 500,000 Km2. The Rub al Khale is boardered by major cities, including Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, among others, but lacks permanent population and it is seldom visitor, mostly by bedouine hunters. Here we report of an assessment of plastic litter in the Rub Al Khale, resulting from a survey conducted in 2020, combining macrolitter assessments using drones with microplastic assessments aross a range of dunes. We interpret the results on the light of the dynamics of flows of materials in deserts and suggest what role deserts, whcih are biomes that have been poorly studied in plastic pollution research, may be in plasic flows in the biosphere. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/542257/document

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