Forests: New Microplastic Reservoirs

Microplastics are infiltrating forests, primarily arriving through the air and settling onto treetops before being washed or dropped to the forest floor, as scientists reported in ScienceDaily. Natural processes, such as leaf decay, then help bury and store these plastic particles deep in the soil, revealing forests as hidden reservoirs of airborne plastic pollution.

Microplastics are infiltrating forests, primarily arriving through the air and settling onto treetops before being washed or dropped to the forest floor, as scientists reported in ScienceDaily.
Natural processes, such as leaf decay, then help bury and store these plastic particles deep in the soil, revealing forests as hidden reservoirs of airborne plastic pollution.
This finding suggests an additional threat to forest ecosystems, which are already stressed by climate change, according to Dr. Collin J. Weber from TU Darmstadt, as cited by SciTechDaily.
The research highlights how microplastics travel globally through the atmosphere, potentially impacting human health by being present in the air we breathe.
According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, microplastics can disrupt photosynthesis, potentially hindering forests' ability to absorb carbon dioxide and mitigate global climate change.
Scientists describe the initial settling of airborne microplastics on tree crowns as the "comb-out effect," where leaves effectively filter pollution from the sky.