Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Vertical distributions of microplastics in long-term mulched soils and their potential impacts on soil properties and microbial diversity

Microplastic concentrations were measured at different depths in agricultural soils that had been mulched with plastic film over many years, finding vertical stratification with higher concentrations near the surface. Long-term plastic mulching leads to progressive accumulation of microplastics throughout the soil profile.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution characteristics of microplastics in soil profiles and aggregates of farmland with different mulching years

Researchers found that microplastic abundance in farmland soil increased linearly with years of plastic film mulching (20.9-54.2 items/g over 3-23 years), with highest concentrations in the 0-10 cm surface layer, decreasing with depth, and greater abundance in larger soil aggregates, using a random forest model to predict distribution patterns.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastic diversity, risks and soil impacts: A multi-metric assessment across land-use systems

Researchers surveyed microplastic abundance, polymer diversity, and ecological risk across seven land-use types in India's Brahmaputra Valley, finding that built-up areas had the highest particle counts while forest soils paradoxically showed the greatest polymer hazard scores due to high-risk polymers, and that land-use type shapes both the quantity and composition of soil microplastic contamination.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of plastic mulching on microplastic contamination in mountainous agricultural soils

Researchers examined how plastic mulching films affect microplastic contamination in remote mountainous agricultural soils in Kakani, Nepal, collecting soil samples from two depths across mulched farms, non-mulched farms, and adjacent forests and finding elevated MP concentrations in mulched plots.

2025
Article Tier 2

Impact of plastic mulching on microplastic contamination in mountainous agricultural soils

Researchers examined how plastic mulching films affect microplastic contamination in remote mountainous agricultural soils in Kakani, Nepal, collecting soil samples from two depths across mulched farms, non-mulched farms, and adjacent forests and finding elevated MP concentrations in mulched plots.

2025 OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Article Tier 2

Contamination of microplastics in greenhouse soil subjected to plastic mulching

This study quantified microplastic accumulation in greenhouse soils under different durations of plastic mulching, finding that longer mulching periods significantly increased MP concentrations in both topsoil and subsoil. Soil physicochemical properties were associated with MP contamination levels, suggesting soil type and organic matter influence MP retention.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Duration- and area-dependent influences of plastic film mulch on soil microplastics abundance

Researchers conducted a field campaign combined with remote sensing to investigate how the duration and coverage area of plastic film mulching affect microplastic abundance in agricultural soils in northern China's agro-pastoral ecotone, finding that microplastic concentrations ranged from 41.7 to 787.5 items per kilogram and positively correlated with mulching duration.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Accumulation in Agricultural Soils with Different Mulching Histories in Xinjiang, China

Researchers found that microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils of Xinjiang, China increases significantly with mulching history, with fields mulched for over 20 years containing substantially more microplastics across all soil layers.

2023 Sustainability 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical distribution and characteristics of soil microplastics under different land use patterns: A case study of Shouguang City, China

Researchers systematically investigated microplastic distribution across seven land use types and three soil depth layers in Shouguang City, China. The study found that greenhouse and polytunnel agricultural soils had the highest microplastic abundance, dominated by polyethylene and polypropylene film fragments, with concentrations decreasing with depth but still reaching 11-19% of total levels in the deepest layer at 40-60 centimeters.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment on Microplastic Contamination from Mulching and Non-Mulching Farmland in Selangor, Malaysia

This Malaysian study characterized microplastics in soil from mulched and non-mulched farmland in Tanjung Karang, Selangor, analyzing abundance by depth and site. Mulched soils contained higher microplastic concentrations than non-mulched soils, and plastic films were the dominant particle type, consistent with mulch film fragmentation.

2025 JURNAL KESEHATAN LINGKUNGAN
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in coastal plain soils under three land-use types

Microplastic abundance and polymer composition were characterized in farmland, plantation, and orchard/secondary forest soils from 33 sites on the east China coastal plain. Farmland soils had significantly higher microplastic abundances than forest soils, with agricultural plastic mulching identified as the primary source of the dominant polyethylene film fragments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollution Characteristics of Microplastics in Soils in Southeastern Suburbs of Baoding City, China

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution in soils from the southeastern suburbs of Beijing, finding widespread contamination across 12 sampling sites with fibers and fragments as the dominant forms, and highlighting agricultural activities and urban runoff as likely sources. The study contributes soil-ecosystem baseline data to a research area dominated by aquatic microplastic studies.

2020 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Occurrence Characteristics of Microplastics in Typical Maize Farmland Soils With Long-Term Plastic Film Mulching in Northern China

A survey of 225 soil samples from maize farmland with long-term plastic film mulching in northern China found widespread microplastic contamination, with abundance, distribution, and polymer composition reflecting the history of film use and agricultural management practices.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Subsurface transport and environmental risks of microplastic pollution: influence of land use and seasonal variability

Researchers systematically investigated how microplastics move vertically through soil across five different land use types during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Dumpsites had the highest microplastic concentrations at nearly 40,000 particles per kilogram, while woodlands had the lowest at around 500 particles per kilogram. The study found that smaller microplastics traveled deeper into soil, especially after monsoon rains, and that land use type significantly influenced both the amount and composition of microplastic contamination.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of microplastics in greenhouse soil after long-term plastic film mulching in Beijing, China

Researchers found that microplastic contamination in Beijing greenhouse soils increased with the duration of plastic film mulching, with abandoned greenhouses accumulating the highest levels at over 2,200 particles per kilogram of soil.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying, and assessing the impact of, microplastics in terrestrial samples

Researchers developed methodologies to quantify microplastics (1 to 1000 micrometers) in terrestrial woodland environments, addressing the significant knowledge gap about microplastic concentrations and ecological impacts in soil ecosystems compared to the more extensively studied aquatic compartments.

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

Effects of land use on the distribution of soil microplastics in the Lihe River watershed, China

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination across five different land use types in a Chinese river watershed. They found that urban soils had the highest microplastic levels, followed by agricultural areas, with woodland having the lowest, and that population density strongly correlated with microplastic diversity. The study suggests that human activity intensity and plastic waste disposal are the main drivers of soil microplastic pollution at the watershed scale.

2023 Chemosphere 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial Responses to an Urban–Suburban–Exurban Gradient in Forest Soils: Shifts in Community Structure and Membrane Lipid Composition

Not relevant to microplastics — this study examines how soil microbial communities and membrane lipid composition shift along an urban-to-rural gradient in China, driven by urbanization and soil depth; microplastics are not a focus of the research.

2026 Land
Article Tier 2

Macro- and micro-plastic accumulation in soils under different intensive farming systems: A case study in Quzhou county, the North China Plain

Soil samples from six farming systems in the North China Plain showed macroplastic abundances from 0.2 to 46.8 kg/ha and microplastic concentrations up to 3.7×10⁴ items/kg, with greenhouse and mulched vegetable fields showing the highest contamination.

2024 Environmental Pollution 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of soil properties and land use patterns on the distribution of microplastics: A case study in southwest China

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in soils across different land use types in Guizhou Province, southwest China. The study found that soil properties and land use patterns significantly influence microplastic abundance and distribution, with agricultural and urban soils generally showing higher contamination levels than less intensively managed areas.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of Plastic Mulching on Microplastic Contamination in Mountainous Agricultural Soils

A study on plastic mulch use in agriculture found that it significantly increases microplastic contamination in soils, with particle concentrations rising with cumulative years of mulch application. The findings reinforce concerns about plastic mulching as a major contributor to agricultural soil microplastic pollution.

2025 Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution of microplastics in Mollisols of the farmland in Northeast China: the role of field management and plastic sources

Researchers investigated how farmland management practices affect the distribution of microplastics in vegetable fields in Northeast China. They found seven types of plastic polymers in soil layers down to 30 centimeters, with larger macroplastic fragments being the primary source of microplastic contamination. Higher fertilization doses contributed more to microplastic generation than tillage frequency.

2025 Geoderma 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Residual Film in Soil Profile under Continuous Film Mulching

Eight years of continuous plastic mulch film use on Chinese farmland steadily increased the number of plastic fragments in soil, with smaller pieces migrating progressively deeper over time even as total plastic mass slowly declined. The finding that fragments accumulate below 10 cm — beyond the reach of most tillage — highlights how agricultural microplastic pollution can become entrenched and difficult to remediate.

2023 Sustainability 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Preliminary results on microplastic pollution from agricultural soil in Vietnam: Distribution, characterization, and ecological risk assessment

This first microplastic survey of Vietnamese agricultural soils found concentrations ranging from 1,700 to 38,800 items per kilogram, with soils near residential areas and manufacturing facilities showing concentrations roughly five times higher than remote agricultural land. Fibers dominated and most particles were under 1 mm, with the majority of sites assessed at hazard level IV — the highest ecological risk category. The study establishes a critical baseline for a country where agricultural plastic use is intensive and growing.

2023 VIETNAM JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES 11 citations