Water Joint Programming Initiative

Post highlights the recently funded JPI (Joint Programming Initiative) project “Impacts of MicroPlastics in Agrosystems and Stream Environments (IMPASSE)”. This project is coordinated by Norwegian Institute for Water Research and is run in collaboration with Swedish University of Agriculture, Vrije University of Amsterdam, Trent University and IMDEA Water. 

Microplastics are defined as plastic pieces with various physico-chemical properties of a size less than 5 mm. Reports suggest that their annual applications to agricultural land are similar to their annual load to the global oceans. A primary source of microplastics to agroecosystems in some countries might be the use of biosolids and sewage sludge as complementary fertilizers. Although this procedure likely releases microplastics directly into the environment, there is limited knowledge on their fate and effects in soil ecosystems as well as adjacent agricultural streams.

IMPASSE  aims to estimate the relevance of agricultural practices for the release of microplastics to aquatic systems, which represents a substantial knowledge gap.

Read the complete post here.