School of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050024, China.
School of Geographical Sciences, Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050024, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Mar 20;813:152490. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152490. Epub 2021 Dec 24.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution is being increasingly recognized as a global concern in all environments. Wind-blown sand and dust contaminated by MPs are an important pathway of MPs transport across different environments, which can result in on-site and off-site potential MP pollution. Here, we designed field experiments to detect MPs in surface soil and wind-blown sand and dust in farmlands with and without film mulch in a semi-arid region of northern China. This study provides the first insights into MPs enrichment in wind-blown sand and dust deposited by natural storms. The results reveal that fibers, fragments, and films constitute the major types of MPs in farmland soil and wind-blown sand and dust. The MPs abundances of 1-3 mm, <1 mm, and 3-5 mm items kg successively decrease. The enrichment of MPs in wind-blown dust is one to two orders of magnitude higher than that in wind-blown sand. For the farmlands with (without) film mulch, the MPs enrichment ratios ranged from 0.22 (0.29) to 1.35 (2.26) in the wind-blown sand and that varied from 1.79 (1.01) to 16.6 (25.79) in the wind-blown dust. Fibers are preferentially transported by wind erosion compared to fragments and films. Soil aggregating processes, wind speed, and MPs shape may influence enrichment in wind-blown sand and dust. Film mulch debris and the application of manure may be the primary sources of MPs in farmland soils. This study further highlights the importance of the transport of airborne MPs from surface soil into the atmosphere. Future research is required to establish the quantitative relationships between the MPs shape, wind speed, and surface soil properties and the MPs enrichment in wind-blown sand and dust.
微塑料（MPs）污染在所有环境中越来越被认为是一个全球性问题。被 MPs 污染的风沙是 MPs 在不同环境中迁移的一个重要途径，这可能导致现场和场外潜在的 MPs 污染。在这里，我们设计了野外实验，以检测中国北方半干旱地区有和没有地膜覆盖的农田中地表土壤和风沙中 MPs 的含量。本研究首次揭示了自然风暴引起的风沙中 MPs 的富集情况。结果表明，纤维、碎片和薄膜构成了农田土壤和风沙中 MPs 的主要类型。1-3mm、<1mm 和 3-5mm 粒径的 MPs 丰度依次降低。风沙中 MPs 的富集程度比风沙高 1 到 2 个数量级。对于有（无）地膜覆盖的农田，风沙中 MPs 的富集比从 0.22（0.29）到 1.35（2.26）不等，而风沙中 MPs 的富集比从 1.79（1.01）到 16.6（25.79）不等。与碎片和薄膜相比，纤维在风蚀过程中更容易被迁移。土壤团聚过程、风速和 MPs 的形状可能会影响风沙中的富集。地膜碎片和粪肥的施用可能是农田土壤中 MPs 的主要来源。本研究进一步强调了从地表土壤向大气中传输空气传播 MPs 的重要性。需要进一步的研究来建立 MPs 形状、风速和地表土壤性质与风沙中 MPs 富集之间的定量关系。
