Macrolitter monitoring in terrestrial fields: from classification to source detection
Abstract
Abstract Terrestrial ecosystems, in particular agricultural soils, can be heavily contaminated by litter and specifically plastic. Assessing the extent and distribution of this pollution requires systematic litter monitoring, which provides information on pollution sources and allows assessment of spatial and temporal trends. While monitoring frameworks for marine and estuarine environments exist for several years, no standardized litter monitoring system is currently in place for terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we present an easy-to-use classification framework for monitoring terrestrial litter built on the Joint List to ensure comparability with existing marine monitoring efforts. Based on our observations, we identified a new category, plastic fruit stickers, as they were found in moderate abundances on fields treated with compost. In addition, the differentiation between meso-sized (5 mm − 2.5 cm) and macro-sized (> 2.5 cm) litter should be included, particularly for terrestrial ecosystems but also in other environments, to close the gap between macro- and microplastic sizes. Future monitoring studies should include a minimum sampling effort of 100–150 locations, in which each monitoring is done by using a standardized transect-based sampling approach. We applied this framework to monitor terrestrial pollution on 240 agricultural soils in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg and to identify agricultural practices and geographical factors that can contribute to…
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