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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastic Transport by Overland Flow: Effects of Soil Texture and Slope Gradient Under Simulated Semi-Arid Conditions
ClearQuantifying the movement of microplastics in soil in response to overland flow and splash erosion
Researchers quantified how overland flow and raindrop splash erosion mobilize and transport microplastics from soil surfaces. Both processes moved microplastic particles, with splash being particularly effective at short distances and overland flow dominating transport over larger areas. Understanding these erosion-driven transport processes is important for predicting how microplastics move from agricultural fields into streams and rivers.
Understanding the overland transport of microplastics from agricultural soils to freshwater systems
This study investigated how microplastics move from agricultural soils to freshwater systems through surface runoff. Researchers found that rainfall intensity, soil type, and particle characteristics all influenced how much plastic reached waterways. Understanding the overland transport pathway is important because agricultural soils are one of the largest reservoirs of microplastics in terrestrial environments.
Horizontal transport of macro- and microplastics on soil surface by rainfall induced surface runoff as affected by vegetations
Researchers investigated how rainfall-induced surface runoff transports macro- and microplastics across soil surfaces, finding that vegetation cover significantly reduces plastic transport while plastic size, density, and rainfall intensity also influence horizontal movement.
Soil erosion as transport pathway of microplastic from agriculture soils to aquatic ecosystems
Researchers simulated heavy rainfall events on agricultural soils containing microplastics and tracked particle transport through runoff and erosion, finding that soil erosion is a significant pathway for moving agricultural microplastics into adjacent water bodies, with particle size and shape governing transport distance.
Microplastic Lateral Transport in Agricultural Slopes: A Field-Based Approach
Researchers conducted field experiments on agricultural slopes to quantify lateral microplastic transport via surface runoff and erosion, finding that slope gradient, soil structure, and microplastic physical properties all influence detachment and downslope redistribution of MP contamination from soil.
Horizontal transport characteristics of microplastics under simulated hydrodynamic conditions
Researchers systematically investigated the horizontal transport of microplastics across soil surfaces under simulated hydrodynamic conditions using 1 µm polystyrene particles and quartz sand. The study identified surface runoff scouring as a key pathway by which microplastics are mobilized and distributed laterally through terrestrial environments.
Size/shape-dependent migration of microplastics in agricultural soil under simulative and natural rainfall
Researchers found that microplastic migration in agricultural soil under rainfall depends on particle size and shape, with smaller particles moving deeper and rainfall intensity significantly influencing vertical transport patterns in soil profiles.
Threshold migration conditions of (micro) plastics under the action of overland flow
This study investigated how plastic particles and films move across different surfaces — smooth, concrete, and soil — under simulated rainfall and surface runoff, finding that smaller size, steeper slopes, and faster water flow all increase plastic mobility from land into waterways. The results improve understanding of how terrestrial plastic pollution ultimately reaches aquatic ecosystems, an important but under-studied part of the microplastic pollution pathway.
Microplastics transport in soils: A critical review
This critical review examined how microplastics are transported through soils, evaluating the role of particle size and shape, soil texture, water flow, and bioturbation in governing vertical and lateral transport. The authors identify knowledge gaps in field-scale transport processes and call for standardized leaching experiments to improve predictions of microplastic mobility in terrestrial systems.
Soil texture is an important factor determining how microplastics affect soil hydraulic characteristics
This study tested how polypropylene microplastics of different sizes affect how water moves through three types of soil. Adding microplastics reduced the soil's ability to absorb and hold water by up to 96%, with clay soils being the most affected. These changes to soil water flow could affect crop growth and potentially increase the movement of other pollutants through contaminated farmland.
Influence of microplastics on small-scale soil surface roughness and implications for wind transport of microplastic particles
Researchers investigated how microplastics mixed into soil affect surface roughness at small scales, finding that microplastics altered surface texture in ways that could increase soil susceptibility to wind erosion and promote atmospheric transport of microplastic particles.
Experimental study on the transport processes of different types of microplastics in rainfall runoff over urban road surface
Researchers investigated the transport of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and polypropylene microplastics in urban road runoff under varying rainfall intensities and slopes using simulated rainfall experiments. They found that rainfall intensity and slope significantly influence microplastic mobilization and entry into downstream water bodies.
Understanding microplastic transport and retention in soil: insights from laboratory and field studies
This study combined laboratory column experiments and field observations to characterize how polyethylene, PBAT, and starch-based biodegradable microplastics move through sandy loam and loamy sand soils under different hydrological conditions. Transport distance and retention depth varied significantly by polymer type and soil texture, with rainfall intensity being a key driver of vertical microplastic migration.
The Transport of Microplastics from Soil in Response to Surface Runoff and Splash Erosion
Using high-frequency photography and fluorescent particles during rainfall simulations, researchers tracked how different types of microplastics move across soil surfaces in real time. All tested microplastic types moved faster than natural sand particles during rainfall, with surface runoff being the primary transport mechanism. The findings suggest that rain events can efficiently wash microplastics from agricultural and urban soils into nearby waterways.
Rainfall-induced lateral and vertical microplastic transport of varying sizes in agricultural fields
Rainfall simulation experiments tracked polyethylene microplastics of three size ranges (53–500 µm) on agricultural soil plots, finding that smaller particles were transported farther laterally in surface runoff and penetrated deeper into soil profiles, highlighting size-dependent microplastic mobility under rainfall conditions.
Transport and Fate of Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments: The Role of Surface Runoff, Root-Mediated Infiltration, and Fragmentation-Driven Mobility
Researchers investigated the transport and fate of microplastics in terrestrial environments through three key processes -- surface runoff, root-mediated infiltration, and fragmentation-driven mobility -- applying classical sediment transport principles to microplastic movement. Field studies and laboratory experiments examined how particle characteristics such as density, size, and shape influence microplastic distribution across agricultural and natural landscapes.
Catchment-scale mechanistic predictions of microplastic transport and distribution across land and water
Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model successfully predicting microplastic transport from land to water, validated against field data, revealing how soil accumulation, runoff dynamics, and in-stream transport interact to determine where microplastics concentrate before reaching the ocean.
Concentration‐ and Size‐Dependent Influences of Microplastics on Soil Hydraulic Properties and Water Flow
Researchers investigated how microplastic concentration and particle size affect soil hydraulic properties and water flow. They found that microplastic contamination reduced saturated conductivity by up to 50% and inhibited water infiltration, with higher concentrations and larger particle sizes leading to weaker soil water-holding capacity.
Soil texture governs the influence of different microplastics on soil hydraulic properties
This study tested how different types of microplastics affect soil hydraulic properties across varying soil textures, finding that soil texture strongly governs the magnitude of MP impacts on water retention and hydraulic conductivity, with fine-textured soils showing different responses than coarse-textured ones.
Horizontal and vertical mobilisation of microplastics in agricultural soils: run-off and infiltration experiments
Researchers measured the horizontal runoff and vertical leaching of microplastics from agricultural mulching films in field plots, quantifying transport under simulated rainfall. Both transport pathways were significant, with particle size and soil properties influencing how far microplastics moved from their source.
Microplastic polymer type impacts water infiltration and its own transport in soil
Researchers conducted laboratory soil column experiments to examine how microplastic polymer type affects both water infiltration rates and the transport of the plastic particles themselves through soil, testing the two most commonly used agricultural microplastic types under controlled hydrological conditions. The study found that polymer type significantly influenced both water flow dynamics and microplastic mobility in soil, with important implications for predicting plastic fate in agricultural and natural terrestrial ecosystems.
Processes controlling the transportation of microplastics in agricultural soils
Researchers investigated the physical processes controlling microplastic transport through agricultural soils, examining how soil structure, water flow, bioturbation, and particle properties interact to move microplastics from surface application sites deeper into the soil profile or laterally toward aquatic systems. The study addressed the dual role of agricultural soils as both sinks and potential sources of microplastic pollution to surrounding environments.
A dual-pathway modeling framework for rainfall-driven transport of microplastics in soil-water systems
This study tracked how three common types of microplastic — polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET — move through sandy soil during simulated rainfall events, finding that rainfall intensity and plastic type both strongly govern where particles end up. Intense, short bursts of rain transport fewer microplastics both horizontally and vertically than the same total volume of gentler rain, while PET sticks to shallow soil layers and polypropylene travels furthest horizontally due to its buoyancy. The researchers developed mathematical models to predict microplastic movement, which could help inform strategies for intercepting contamination before it reaches groundwater or waterways.
Saturated hydraulic conductivity in microplastics incorporated soils: Effects of soil texture, polymer type, particle size, and concentration
Researchers measured saturated hydraulic conductivity in loam and sandy loam soils amended with PET, PVC, and PE microplastics of two size classes, finding that PET particles in sandy loam produced the highest conductivity values and that polymer hydrophobicity and particle size both influence soil water flow.