Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Water infiltration capacity in soil polluted with macroplastics

Researchers measured water infiltration rates in organic-rich coastal soils in central Norway that had accumulated buried macroplastic litter deposited by converging ocean currents, quantifying how macroplastic contamination alters vertical water transport capacity in these ecologically important near-coastal soils.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Macroplastic in soil and peat. A case study from the remote islands of Mausund and Froan landscape conservation area, Norway; implications for coastal cleanups and biodiversity

Researchers documented macroplastic accumulation in soil and peat on the remote Norwegian islands of Mausund and Froan, finding that marine plastic litter transported to these coastal conservation areas poses threats to terrestrial biodiversity and complicates cleanup efforts.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactions between water flow and microplastics in silt loam and loamy sand

Researchers found that increasing microplastic content (1-7% w/w) in both silt loam and loamy sand soils enhanced water infiltration rates, driving microplastic particles deeper into the soil profile. The study reveals a feedback mechanism where microplastics alter the very water flow patterns responsible for their own transport and distribution.

2021 Soil Science Society of America Journal 43 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Discover Polymers.
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 European Journal of Soil Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Indirect Effects of Microplastic-Contaminated Soils on Adjacent Soil Layers: Vertical Changes in Soil Physical Structure and Water Flow

Laboratory experiments showed that microplastic contamination in upper soil layers indirectly altered the physical structure and water flow of adjacent uncontaminated lower soil layers, suggesting that microplastics can affect soil hydrology beyond their immediate zone of contamination.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 61 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 104 citations
Article Tier 2

Dispersion and transport of microplastics in three water-saturated coastal soils

Transport of three sizes of microplastics (0.3, 0.5, and 1 micrometer) through three water-saturated coastal soils was compared, finding that soil properties including organic matter content and ionic composition strongly influenced microplastic mobility and dispersion.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental Investigation of Water-Retaining and Unsaturated Infiltration Characteristics of Loess Soils Imbued with Microplastics

Researchers conducted one-dimensional vertical soil column rainfall infiltration experiments on loess soil mixed with microplastics at varying content levels and particle sizes, finding that microplastics weakened soil water-retaining capacity and altered infiltration characteristics, with intermittent irrigation recommended to compensate for reduced soil permeability.

2022 Sustainability 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on the hydraulic properties and pore characteristics of compacted soil

Researchers investigated how polyethylene microplastics affect the hydraulic properties and pore structure of compacted soil, finding that higher microplastic concentrations disrupted pore size distribution and reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity while altering water retention capacity.

2025 Soil and Tillage Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The soils of a high-traffic roadside ditch as a receptacle of macro-litter and microplastics

Researchers assessed macro-litter accumulation and microplastic infiltration in the soil of a roadside seepage ditch in the Parisian suburbs over eight months, measuring litter deposition rates of approximately 160 kg/km/year and collecting soil cores at up to 30 cm depth to quantify microplastic concentrations at different depths and evaluate vertical infiltration as a transport pathway.

2022 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

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.

2024
Article Tier 2

Rainfall-induced microplastic fate and transport in unsaturated Dutch soils

This study simulated rainfall conditions to track how different types of microplastics move through Dutch soils, finding that sandy soils allowed significantly more microplastics to wash through than loamy soils. Heavier rainfall increased microplastic movement by up to 144% depending on the plastic type, with conventional polyethylene washing out most easily. The findings suggest that rain can carry microplastics from surface soil into groundwater, potentially contaminating drinking water sources.

2024 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 11 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Vertical transport of microplastic in agricultural soil in controlled irrigation plot experiments

Researchers conducted field plot experiments in agricultural soil and found that microplastics migrate vertically with irrigation water, with smaller particles (53–63 µm) penetrating up to 6 cm deep and larger particles remaining near the surface, indicating that water infiltration is a key driver of subsurface plastic transport.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Different Soil Tillage Practices on Microplastic Particle Abundance and Distribution

Field experiments across different tillage and fertilization regimes quantified microplastic abundance and vertical distribution in agricultural soils, finding that tillage practices significantly influenced how deeply microplastics are mixed through the soil profile.

2025 Soil Systems
Article Tier 2

The extent and impacts of soil pollution by microplastics

This study examines the extent and impacts of soil pollution by microplastics, reviewing evidence of how microplastic particles accumulate in terrestrial environments and affect soil ecosystems, organisms, and agricultural systems.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Plastic particles in soil: state of the knowledge on sources, occurrence and distribution, analytical methods and ecological impacts

This comprehensive review of plastic particles in soil covered sources, occurrence, analytical detection methods, and ecological impacts, identifying gaps in knowledge about terrestrial plastic fate and effects compared to the more extensively studied marine environment.

2021 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Overlooked yet critical pathways for microplastics input to soil and groundwater system: Transport mechanisms and simulation predictions in landfill environments

Researchers systematically investigated how microplastics travel through landfill soils into groundwater, examining the effects of particle density, size, polymer type, temperature, and salinity on transport. The study used column experiments and computational modeling to reveal that landfill conditions create overlooked but critical pathways for microplastic contamination of soil and groundwater systems.

2025 Water Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and dynamics of microplastics in soils

This doctoral research mapped how microplastics are distributed and transported through soils, examining how soil properties like texture and organic matter influence their accumulation, breakdown, and mobility into groundwater. Because soils are both a major sink and a transfer medium for microplastics, this work helps build the foundation needed for assessing contamination risks to agriculture and drinking water.

2026 Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in soil environment – a review

This review examines the sources, transport, degradation, and ecological impacts of microplastic contamination in soil environments. The study suggests that soil acts as both a major sink for microplastics and a conduit transporting them to aquatic systems, and that microplastics can negatively affect soil organisms and biogeochemistry, underscoring the need for more research on terrestrial microplastic pollution.

2021 Soil Science Annual 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Water retention and hydraulic properties of a natural soil subjected to microplastic contaminations and leachate exposures

Researchers studied how microplastic contamination affects the water-holding and flow properties of compacted soil, a scenario relevant to engineering applications like landfill liners. They found that microplastics altered the soil's ability to retain water and changed both saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, with effects varying by particle size and leachate age. The study suggests that microplastic-contaminated soils may behave differently than expected in engineered structures.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Soil?

This review examined the occurrence and behavior of microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems and soils, questioning how particles move through and accumulate in soils and calling for more research on land-based microplastic impacts.

2012 Environmental Science & Technology 1520 citations