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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Quantifying soil surface erosion
ClearSoil 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.
Model-based analysis of erosion-induced microplastic delivery from arable land to the stream network of a mesoscale catchment
Researchers applied a model-based analysis to quantify how erosion transports microplastics from agricultural land to the stream network of a mesoscale catchment, finding that surface runoff and soil erosion are significant pathways for microplastic delivery to inland waters.
Model-based analysis of erosion-induced microplastic delivery from arable land to the stream network of a mesoscale catchment
Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model estimating how much microplastic is transported from farmland soils into stream networks through soil erosion. The study found that erosion can be a significant pathway for moving microplastics from agricultural fields into rivers, with implications for downstream water quality.
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.
Quantifying 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.
Soil erosion is a major drive for nano & micro-plastics to enter riverine systems from cultivated land.
A study quantifying how soil erosion transports nano and microplastics from cultivated land into rivers found that erosion is a major pathway for plastic transfer to aquatic systems, with plastic flux closely linked to soil loss rates and land management practices.
The spatio-temporal variability of soil microplastic distribution and erosion-induced microplastic export under extreme rainfall event using sediment fingerprinting and 7Be in intensive agricultural catchment
Researchers tracked how soil erosion during extreme rainfall events transports microplastics from agricultural land into waterways at the catchment scale. Microplastic abundance in soil peaked during certain seasons and was highest in cropland converted from forest, with most particles smaller than 500 micrometers. Using sediment fingerprinting and beryllium-7 tracing, the study estimated substantial microplastic export loads, showing that agricultural erosion is a significant pathway for microplastic pollution in water bodies.
Reply on RC1
This study provides the first estimates of how much microplastic is delivered from agricultural soils to freshwater systems through surface runoff and erosion. Soil erosion events can mobilize accumulated microplastics from farmland into rivers, representing a significant and previously underestimated transport pathway.
The synchronized dynamic release behavior of microplastics during farmland soil erosion process
Field and laboratory experiments on farmland soil in coastal China showed that roughly half of the microplastics present in agricultural soil can be mobilized and released into water bodies during erosion events. The dynamic release pattern — an initial decrease followed by a sharp increase — is driven by competition between particle adsorption, sedimentation, and resuspension, highlighting that controlling soil erosion is a critical and underappreciated lever for preventing microplastic contamination of rivers and coastal waters.
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.
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.
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.
Influence of polymer age and soil aggregation on microplastic transport in soil erosion events
Researchers compared the transport rates of pristine and aged polystyrene microplastics during simulated rainfall events and quantified their incorporation into soil aggregates across multiple wet-dry cycles, providing the first empirical data on how surface roughness and hydrophobicity changes from weathering affect MP mobility in soil erosion.
Macro and microplastics in the soil: abundance, characterization, identification, and interactions under different land uses in an agricultural sub-basin
Researchers examined the abundance, characterization, identification, and interactions of macro- and microplastics in soils under different land uses within an agricultural sub-basin, assessing how land-use patterns influence plastic pollution distribution and potential interactions with the soil environment.
The Road Map to Classify the Potential Risk of Wind Erosion
This study developed a methodological framework for classifying the risk of wind erosion across different soil and climate conditions. Wind erosion can transport soil particles as well as light microplastic particles across large distances, making erosion risk assessment relevant to understanding microplastic dispersal.
Microplastics in agricultural soils from a semi-arid region and their transport by wind erosion
Researchers found microplastics heterogeneously distributed in agricultural soils from semi-arid Iran, with plastic-mulched and wastewater-irrigated fields both contaminated, and demonstrated that wind erosion can transport microplastics from soil surfaces to new locations.
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 Transport by Overland Flow: Effects of Soil Texture and Slope Gradient Under Simulated Semi-Arid Conditions
Using rainfall simulation experiments across soils of varying texture and slope gradients, researchers studied how overland flow transports microplastics of different shapes and sizes, finding that soil texture and slope angle significantly influenced MP runoff distance and concentration.
Comment on egusphere-2023-882
This comment discusses a study estimating how much microplastic is transported from agricultural soils into rivers through erosion and surface runoff. The analysis highlights soil erosion as an important but often overlooked pathway by which microplastics move from land to freshwater systems.
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.
Are we underestimating microplastic emissions from agricultural soils?
This review examines evidence that wind erosion from agricultural soils in drylands is a significant and underestimated source of atmospheric microplastic emissions. The authors argue that existing emission inventories focus too heavily on urban and aquatic sources, and that dryland agricultural soils—covering 40% of Earth's land surface—likely emit substantial quantities of plastic particles through wind erosion.
Occurrence and emission characteristics of microplastics in agricultural surface runoff under different natural rainfall and short-term fertilizer application
Researchers investigated how microplastics travel from agricultural fields into waterways through surface runoff during natural rainfall events. They found that fertilizer application and rainfall intensity significantly affected the amount and type of microplastics washed off farmland. The study highlights agricultural runoff as a major pathway for microplastic transfer from land to aquatic environments.
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.