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[Effects of Land Use Patterns on Soil Microplastic Pollution in the Luoshijiang Sub-watershed of Erhai Lake Basin].
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A study in the Luoshijiang sub-watershed of Erhai Lake found that land use type significantly influenced soil microplastic concentrations, with farmland and riparian zones showing higher contamination than grassland and woodland areas.
Microplastic pollution in the soil environment has received extensive attention, but the effects of different land use patterns on the sub-watershed scale on soil microplastic pollution are poorly understood. The Luoshijiang sub-watershed in the north of Erhai Lake was selected as the research object, and the characteristics of microplastic pollution in farmland, riparian zone, grassland, and woodland soils were analyzed. The pollution risks of microplastics in the four types of soil were assessed using the polymer risk index method, and the effects of land use patterns on the distribution and risk of microplastic pollution were further explored. The results showed that:① The abundance of microplastics in the soil of the Luoshijiang sub-watershed ranged from 220 to 1 900 n·kg-1, and the average abundance was (711 ± 55) n·kg-1. The main polymer types were polyester (PES, 32.52%) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET, 21.95%). The particle size of microplastics was concentrated in the range of 0.5-2 mm (61.89%). Fiber was the main shape of microplastics (>75%), and the dominant color was transparent (58.50%). ② Land use patterns determined the abundance and pollution characteristics of soil microplastics in the Luoshijiang sub-watershed. A significantly higher abundance of microplastics was found in the soil of farmland[(885 ± 95) n·kg-1] and riparian zone[(837 ± 155) n·kg-1], which had stronger intensities of human activity, than that in woodland soil[(491 ± 53) n·kg-1] (P<0.05). Film and fragment microplastics mainly occurred in farmland soil, which also had the largest number of polymer types and the most abundant colors. ③ The risk index level of microplastics (Level Ⅲ) in the soil of farmland was higher than that of the other three land use patterns (Level Ⅰ). This research indicated that the higher the intensity of human activities of a sub-watershed was, the more complex the occurrence characteristics of soil microplastics, the richer the types of polymers, and the higher the potential pollution risks would be. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the control of soil microplastic pollution in farmland.
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