Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in different ecosystems have recently become subjects of numerous studies. However, to date the research has focused mainly on marine and freshwater ecosystems and widely neglected terrestrial environments. Only recently, first studies investigated the microplastics contamination of soils. Therefore, we know little about the transport mechanisms of microplastics in soils and sediments and virtually nothing about their surface transport. In this study we investigate surface transport mechanisms by tracking fluorescent, irregularly shaped polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) particles in real time in a laboratory setup. In 108 experimental runs, we vary the irrigation rates, inclinations and surface roughnesses. Additionally, we simulate the small-scale flow patterns to resolve the role of the roughness-induced microrelief. Our results suggest that microplastics are transported along preferential pathways resulting from the micro- and macrorelief, which can be correlated to the flow pattern observed in the computer simulation. Our model study facilitates a deeper insight into microplastic transport on different soil surfaces and serves as a pilot for investigating mechanisms of horizontal microplastic transport. However, microplastics are a diverse group of contaminants with varying shapes, densities and sizes. Therefore, for a full understanding of transport of microplastics in terrestrial environments, it is important to address these properties as well as more variable surfaces for horizontal migration and to include vertical transport mechanisms in future research.
<h3>The impact of microplastics in different ecosystems has recently become subject of numerous studies. However, the research of the last years has focused mainly on marine ecosystems and neglected terrestrial environments so far. This has led to a substantial lack of knowledge of the transport mechanisms of microplastic in soils and sediments. While first studies in this field investigate the abundance of microplastic in soils, only little is known about surface transport of microplastic particles.</h3> <h3>The new approach of time-series analysis acquired by advanced scientific complementary metal&#8211;oxide&#8211;semiconductor (sCMOS) high-resolution cameras (Hardy et al., 2017, doi:10.1016/ j.catena.2016.11.005) could enhance the understanding of surface transport mechanisms of microplastic. We used a flume-box filled with different materials to trace the movements of fluorescent microplastic particles of 100 &#181;m diameter under artificial irrigation. Furthermore, soil material from the German Wadden Sea was used to trace the run-off transport of microplastic in natural sediments. Here, we present first results on microplastic particle distribution, transport and accumulation as well on macroscopic as on microscopic scales.</h3>
<p>Although the impact of microplastic particles (MPs) in different ecosystems has recently become subject of numerous studies, the knowledge of spatial distribution and transport of MP in terrestrial environments is still limited. While first studies in this field have focused on the abundance of MPs in soils and its vertical distribution, only little is known about the mechanisms of MP transport on the surfaces of sediments and soils. To analyse the interaction between soil surface roughness, inclination and irrigation rate, we investigate MP surface transport mechanisms and patterns by using images of an advanced scientific complementary metal&#8211;oxide&#8211;semiconductor (sCMOS) high-resolution camera. For this study an experimental set-up including a flume box with several surfaces and an artificial irrigation system was used. In this setup we traced pathways of fluorescent amorphously shaped polystyrene (PS) and Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) particles on surfaces of different roughnesses and inclination. Subsequently, time series of the images were analyzed by combining R and Python packages was. This included the calculation of MP particle size, estimation of pathways and path lengths.&#160; Our first results suggest a large influence of the water film thickness and the microrelief of the studied surfaces leading to the creation of preferential pathways for the MP particles.</p>
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