remote sensing monitoring in the Management of microplastic pollution among agricultural soils

Solveig Berg; L. Johansson; E. Pedersen

doi:10.5281/zenodo.22812727

Authors

Solveig Berg Department of Clinical Environmental Science, Tajo Institute for Advanced Environmental Technology Author https://orcid.org/6128-2160-0273-7293
L. Johansson Division of Environmental Science, Po Institute for Advanced Environmental Science Author https://orcid.org/3871-2126-5350-3278
E. Pedersen Department of Environmental Science, Parana Institute for Advanced Environmental Technology Author https://orcid.org/8625-3274-8891-7607

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22812727

Keywords:

microplastics, agricultural soil, remote sensing, plastic mulch, soil pollution monitoring

Abstract

Graphical abstract

Plastic mulch films, sewage sludge amendment, and irrigation-borne debris have made agricultural soil a major, still poorly quantified microplastic reservoir. This review synthesizes remote sensing studies mapping plastic-mulched farmland by satellite, radar, and unmanned aerial platforms alongside ground-truthed soil microplastic surveys, asking how well mapped mulch extent serves as a proxy for actual soil contamination. Multispectral and radar classification of plastic-mulched cropland now routinely reaches 85-93% accuracy, but no reviewed study paired that mapping directly with co-located, depth-resolved soil microplastic sampling. Ground surveys show sludge amendment and irrigation contribute substantially alongside mulch degradation. Adapting the tighter spectral validation methods already used for floating marine litter could close this gap and convert mulch-extent mapping into an actionable soil microplastic management tool.

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