Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on CO2 emission from Yellow River Delta wetland

Researchers found that microplastic contamination in Yellow River Delta wetland soils altered CO2 emissions, with different polymer types and concentrations producing varying effects on soil carbon dynamics — raising concern that plastic pollution could undermine the carbon sequestration function of coastal wetlands.

2022 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Carbon Cycling in Wetlands Under the Shadow of Microplastics: Challenges and Prospects

This review examines how microplastics disrupt carbon cycling in wetlands, which are critical ecosystems for capturing and storing carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. Microplastics can damage plant roots, alter soil microbial communities, and accelerate the breakdown of stored organic carbon, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The findings highlight that microplastic pollution may undermine wetlands' ability to help regulate the climate.

2025 Toxics 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics shape microbial communities affecting soil organic matter decomposition in paddy soil

Researchers found that microplastics shape soil microbial communities in paddy soils in ways that affect organic matter decomposition, revealing how bacterial succession and carbon cycling are altered by microplastic presence in agricultural systems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 181 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of microplastics on organic matter decomposition in paddy soil amended with crop residues and labile C: A three-source-partitioning study

Researchers used isotope labeling to separate contributions of native soil carbon, added crop residues, and labile carbon to CO2 flux in paddy soils containing microplastics, finding that MPs suppressed decomposition of native soil carbon while accelerating breakdown of fresh crop residues.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic residues in wetland ecosystems: Do they truly threaten the plant-microbe-soil system?

Researchers used a controlled pot experiment to assess microplastic effects on wetland plant growth, soil microbial communities, and nutrient cycling, finding that MPs altered soil enzyme activity and shifted bacterial community composition but had variable effects on plant growth depending on plastic type.

2021 Environment International 238 citations
Article Tier 2

Disentangling microplastics effects on soil structure, microbial activity and greenhouse gas emissions

Researchers studied how microplastics affect soil structure, microbial activity, and greenhouse gas emissions, finding complex interactions that depend on microplastic type and concentration. The presence of microplastics in soils can alter the biological processes that regulate carbon storage and nutrient cycling.

2022 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-DerivedDissolved Organic Matter RegulatesSoil Carbon Respiration via Microbial Ecophysiological Controls

Researchers investigated how microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter influences soil carbon respiration, finding that carbon compounds leached from microplastics alter soil heterotrophic microbial ecophysiology and thereby affect carbon sequestration dynamics in contaminated soils.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Differential aging processes of microplastics in paddy soil under wet-dry alternation: Insights into chemical structure alteration and dissolved organic matter formation

Researchers investigated the aging of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics in paddy soil during seven wet-dry alternation cycles over 98 days and found that cycling conditions accelerated chemical degradation and altered dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition. PE aged most rapidly, and the DOM produced differed structurally from that generated under constant conditions.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging of biodegradable microplastics and their effect on soil properties: Control from soil water

Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics made from PLA and PBAT break down in different soil types under varying water conditions. They found that while these plastics aged more in dry and alternating wet-dry conditions, flooded conditions caused bigger changes to soil chemistry, including increased dissolved organic carbon. The study suggests that even biodegradable plastics can meaningfully alter soil properties, and the effects depend heavily on moisture conditions.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Microplastics on Soil Carbon Mineralization: The Crucial Role of Oxygen Dynamics and Electron Transfer

Researchers investigated how polyethylene and polylactic acid microplastics affect carbon cycling in soil, focusing on oxygen dynamics and electron transfer processes. They found that microplastics alter dissolved oxygen distribution at the microscale, which in turn influences how organic matter breaks down and whether carbon is released as CO2 or methane. The study reveals a previously overlooked mechanism by which microplastics can disrupt fundamental soil carbon processes.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 126 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanisms Associated with Lower Methane Emissions from Paddy Soil by Aged Polylactic Acid Microplastics

Researchers found that paddy fields with certain management practices emitted less methane, linking microplastic content and soil microbial community shifts to reduced greenhouse gas output. The study highlights how plastic contamination in agricultural soils can unexpectedly alter the carbon cycle.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter Regulates Soil Carbon Respiration via Microbial Ecophysiological Controls

Researchers investigated how dissolved organic matter released by microplastics affects the way soil microbes process carbon. They found that compounds leaching from both new and aged microplastics stimulated soil carbon release, with aged microplastics having a larger effect by altering microbial community structure. The findings suggest that microplastic pollution may influence soil carbon cycling and potentially affect how effectively soils store carbon.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 15 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic effects on carbon cycling in terrestrial soil ecosystems: Storage, formation, mineralization, and microbial mechanisms

Microplastics in soil contribute to organic carbon storage through degradation and leaching, but also disrupt carbon cycling by altering plant growth, litter decomposition, and microbial activity. The net effect on soil CO2 and CH4 emissions varies depending on how microplastics reshape microbial community structure and enzyme activity.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 8 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Recent advances towards micro(nano)plastics research in wetland ecosystems: A systematic review on sources, removal, and ecological impacts

Wetland ecosystems act as important sinks for micro- and nanoplastics, which were found to cause ecotoxicological effects on wetland plants, animals, and microbial communities, including shifts in microbial composition relevant to pollutant removal. Micro/nanoplastics exposure also affected conventional pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions from wetland systems.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Effect of microplastics on carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycle in farmland soil: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis of 102 studies found that microplastics in farmland soil increased soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, and microbial biomass nitrogen, but also elevated CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions through enhanced carbon mineralization and denitrification. Microplastic biodegradability, size, concentration, and soil properties all drove these effects, suggesting agricultural microplastic pollution may worsen greenhouse gas emissions from farmland.

2025 Environmental Pollution 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyethylene microplastics distinctly affect soil microbial community and carbon and nitrogen cycling during plant litter decomposition

Researchers measured how polyethylene microplastics affect soil microbial communities and carbon cycling in agricultural soils, finding that microplastic addition shifted microbial diversity and suppressed key carbon mineralization processes. The results suggest microplastic accumulation in farmland could impair soil carbon storage.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Modulate Carbon Sequestration in Paddy Fields by Regulating Rhizosphere Silicon Mobility

Microplastics were found to modulate carbon sequestration in paddy fields by altering microbial activity and organic matter decomposition rates. The study highlights that plastic contamination in rice paddies can disrupt the carbon cycle, potentially offsetting the carbon storage capacity of these ecosystems.

2025 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The impacts of polypropylene microplastics on carbon and nitrogen cycling in coastal wetlands: Field evidence

Researchers conducted a three-month in-situ field investigation of polypropylene microplastic effects on sediment carbon and nitrogen cycling in both intertidal and supratidal zones of a coastal wetland. They found that high concentrations (2% w/w) of polypropylene microplastics significantly stimulated carbon-degrading enzyme activity, while the effects on total organic carbon and nitrogen cycling showed concentration-dependent variation across wetland zones.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal heterogeneous effects of microplastics input on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM) under field conditions

Researchers conducted a long-term field experiment and found that microplastic inputs have spatiotemporally heterogeneous effects on soil dissolved organic matter (DOM), with implications for soil carbon dynamics under increasing terrestrial plastic contamination.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions in the context of straw incorporation: A comparison with different types of soil

Researchers combined microplastic treatments with straw incorporation in different soil types and measured effects on soil organic carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, finding that microplastics altered carbon cycling and in some soils increased CO2 and N2O emissions.

2021 Environmental Pollution 159 citations