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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Soil erosion and sediment dynamics in the Anthropocene: a review of human impacts during a period of rapid global environmental change
ClearHuman-environment interactions in the Anthropocene – a case study on reservoir sediments in Central Europe
Researchers analyzed sediment cores from Central European reservoirs to reconstruct a century of changing sediment fluxes, heavy metal contamination, and microplastic inputs linked to human land use change and climate-driven erosion. Microplastics appeared in cores beginning in the mid-20th century, with accelerating accumulation rates tracking regional industrialization and plastic production growth.
Soil Pedogenesis in the Anthropocene: a Review of Modern Approaches and Emerging Challenges
This review examined how human activities during the Anthropocene era are fundamentally altering soil formation processes. Researchers highlighted emerging challenges including microplastic contamination as one of several anthropogenic factors reshaping soil pedogenesis, alongside urbanization, industrial pollution, and agricultural intensification.
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 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.
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.
Quantifying soil surface erosion
This study quantified soil surface erosion rates using a combination of field measurements and modeling, examining how land use, vegetation cover, and rainfall intensity interact to drive soil loss. The findings provide improved estimates for erosion-driven microplastic transport in agricultural landscapes.
Silent Alienation of Soils through Microplastic in the Anthropocene – A Constraint for Soil Productivity?
This review examines how microplastics accumulate in soils and alter their physical properties and biological communities over time. Microplastics resist biodegradation and can reduce soil porosity, alter water retention, and harm soil organisms. The authors argue that ongoing plastic accumulation in farmland poses a long-term threat to soil productivity and global food security.
Micro plastics in soil ecosystem - A review of sources, fate, and ecological impact
This review covers sources, fate, and ecological impacts of microplastics in soil ecosystems, finding that global plastic production has increased from 1.7 million tonnes in 1950 to over 320 million tonnes annually, with microplastics now detected in soils across all land use types.
Microplastics in terrestrial ecosystems: sources, transport, fate, mitigation, and remediation strategies
This review examines how microplastics from urban, agricultural, and industrial sources are building up in soils worldwide. Wind, water, and soil organisms transport these particles across landscapes, where they persist and can affect soil structure and the health of living things. The authors highlight that land-based microplastic pollution has received far less attention than ocean pollution, despite its potential risks to ecosystems and human health through the food chain.
How Natural Phenomena and Disasters Together with the Weathering Conditions Affect Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Agricultural Soils and in Farmlands
This review examines how natural events — weathering, flooding, wind erosion, and extreme weather — interact with plastic waste to mobilize and spread microplastics through agricultural soils. As climate change increases the frequency of such events, the contamination of farmland and food crops with microplastics is likely to worsen, with downstream consequences for food safety and soil health.
Micro and nanoplastics pollution: A review on global concern and its impacts on ecosystems
This review summarizes the current understanding of micro and nanoplastic pollution globally, covering their sources, movement through ecosystems, and risks to both environmental and human health. The evidence shows that these tiny particles alter soil and sediment properties, disrupt nutrient cycles, and pose potential climate hazards. The authors emphasize that more research is needed on how microplastics move through food chains and affect human health, particularly through contaminated food and water.
Determinants of environmental changes in human-modified ecosystems: Effects of plastics on moisture gradients, nutrients, and clay properties
Researchers examined how plastic pollution affects soil properties in human-modified ecosystems through field experiments in China and Rwanda, combined with laboratory tests on clay mixed with PET microplastics. They found that microplastics altered the structural properties of natural clay, decreasing moisture content while increasing density and load-bearing capacity. The study suggests that plastic accumulation in soils can fundamentally change moisture gradients, nutrient availability, and physical soil characteristics.
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.
How microplastics are destroying soil and human health
This review examined how microplastics harm soil health — disrupting soil structure, water retention, microbial communities, and nutrient cycling — and how soil degradation translates into risks for human health through food and water contamination. It argues that soil microplastic pollution deserves equivalent attention to aquatic contamination.
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.
Spatial Risks ofMicroplastics in Soils and the CascadingEffects Thereof
This review mapped the spatial risks of microplastic contamination in global soils, examining how climate, land use, and human activities distribute MP pollution and analyzing cascading effects on soil ecology, carbon cycling, and ecosystem services.
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.
Soil Environment Pollution with Microplastic, Influence Factors and Environmental Risks
This review synthesizes research on microplastic contamination of soil environments, covering the major sources of soil microplastics, factors influencing their accumulation and distribution, and the environmental risks they pose to terrestrial ecosystems and agriculture.
Soils in distress: The impacts and ecological risks of (micro)plastic pollution in the terrestrial environment
This review examines how microplastics affect soil ecosystems, including their transport into soils, changes they undergo in the environment, and their interactions with soil organisms. The effects depend heavily on the type, shape, size, and amount of plastic particles present. Understanding these impacts is important because soil contamination with microplastics can affect food production and ultimately human exposure through the food chain.
Microplastics in Soil Systems: The Overlooked Dimension of Plastic Pollution
This review evaluates research on microplastics in soil systems, highlighting them as an overlooked yet significant dimension of global plastic pollution. Evidence indicates that microplastics can alter soil structure, reduce water-holding capacity, disrupt microbial communities, and act as carriers for antibiotics, heavy metals, and other toxic substances. The study examines major sources of soil microplastics, including agricultural practices, wastewater irrigation, and atmospheric deposition, and discusses mitigation strategies.