Dataset for: Fe oxides control the vulnerability of paddy soils to microplastic-induced carbon loss

Summary

This research found that iron compounds in rice paddy soil help protect against carbon loss when tiny plastic particles (microplastics) are present. When these iron compounds are low, microplastics cause more soil carbon to escape as CO2 gas, which could worsen climate change. This matters because microplastics are increasingly common in agricultural soils from plastic pollution, and healthy soils are crucial for growing food and storing carbon.