Plastics and microplastics in soilscapes: Geographical approaches to combat global plastic pollution of soils

Abstract der Sitzung

The global plastic pollution of soils has become one major threat to the terrestrial environment. During the last decade, first investigations have been able to show the ubiquitous spread of plastic particles in soils and gave first impressions of their input pathways and effects on soil functions. The variety of polymeric particles, the comparatively small size of microplastics (5000–1 µm) and their complex sources to the environment as well as interactions with the soil matrix, hinders easy quantification methods. Next to the ongoing development of analytical methods, enhanced knowledge on (micro‑)plastics within soils, their biogeochemical interactions, aging, effects on soil functions as well as exact in- and output pathways is still lacking. Furthermore, there is a limited knowledge about the spatial distribution of (micro‑)plastics in soils on different spatial levels, beginning in soil matrix distributions up to the spatial occurrence on landscape scales.

In this session, we want to address the current issues to plastics and microplastics in soilscapes from a soil geographic perspective. In addition to simple “search and find” approaches in (micro‑)plastic research, soil geographic research approaches could foster our understanding of (micro‑)plastics in soils. Consideration of spatial, temporal and landscape aspects within one or more soilscapes can contribute to enhanced sampling strategies, understanding and quantification of (micro‑)plastic emissions to soils, its retention and fate within soils as well as underling biogeochemical processes.

Contributions are therefore welcome on the following topics:

• Enhanced analytical methods to quantify (micro‑)plastics in soils
• Conceptual and practical research strategies on spatial representative (micro‑)plastic sampling
• Assessment of (micro‑)plastic input pathways for soil systems including modelling approaches
• Spatio-temporal investigations of (micro‑)plastics on different spatial levels
• (Micro‑)plastic transport processes in soils