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Deciphering the impact of microplastics (MPs) on Himalayan agricultural soils: Current knowledge and future perspectives
Summary
This review synthesized the first comprehensive assessment of microplastic contamination in Himalayan agricultural soils, covering sources, transport mechanisms, and ecological effects. The authors found that mulch films, sludge, and atmospheric deposition are major inputs, and that freeze-thaw and snowmelt cycles redistribute plastics in ways that amplify co-contaminant risks.
• First synthesis of microplastic contamination in Himalayan agricultural soils. • Major inputs include mulch, greenhouse films, sludge, compost, and fallout. • Snowmelt, erosion, and freeze-thaw cycles drive MP transport and redistribution. • MPs alter soil structure, microbes, and plant growth, amplifying co-contaminant risks. • A Microplastic Vulnerability Framework guides monitoring and risk assessment. Microplastics (MPs) are recognized as pervasive contaminants in terrestrial ecosystems, but their sources, transport pathways, degradation behavior, and environmental implications in high-altitude Himalayan agricultural soils remain poorly understood. The Himalayan region, characterized by steep geomorphic gradients, terraced cultivation, dynamic cryospheric processes, and highly variable hydroclimatic regimes, constitutes a unique environmental setting where Microplastic (MP) behavior markedly diverges from lowland agroecosystems. This review synthesizes global evidence on MP contamination across agricultural inputs, hydrological pathways, atmospheric deposition, organic amendments, and waste streams, and systematically contextualizes these processes within the distinct geomorphic, cryo-hydrological, and socioecological features of the Himalaya. The objectives of this study are to: (i) identify dominant MP sources contributing to contamination in mountain agroecosystems, including agricultural plastics, irrigation water, atmospheric fallout, and mismanaged rural waste; (ii) evaluate the mechanisms controlling MP transport, degradation, redistribution, and interactions with soil physicochemical and biological properties; and (iii) highlight major knowledge gaps while proposing a region-specific Microplastic Vulnerability Framework (MPVF) for assessing site-level susceptibility to MP accumulation. Our analysis demonstrates that steep slopes, intensive monsoon-driven runoff, freeze-thaw cycling, snowmelt pulses, terraced field architecture, and inadequate waste management infrastructure collectively shape the fate, mobility, and residence time of MPs in Himalayan soils. MPs frequently alter soil structure, microbial activity, nutrient cycling, and the mobility of co-contaminants, thereby posing long-term risks to soil health, crop productivity, and food security in mountain communities. The study suggests the need for standardized sampling and extraction protocols, the development of mountain-specific analytical workflows, catchment-scale flux assessments, and long-term in-situ monitoring to quantify seasonal MP transport and accumulation. By integrating global insights with the distinct that govern MP behavior in Himalayan landscapes, this review provides the comprehensive synthesis tailored to high-altitude agroecosystems and advances a practical MPVF to guide future monitoring, risk assessment, and sustainable plastic governance in mountain environments.
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