{"id":977,"date":"2024-12-15T23:57:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T07:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/sdpollutiontrackers\/?p=977"},"modified":"2024-12-15T23:59:15","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T07:59:15","slug":"from-fields-to-waters-how-microplastics-travel-through-agriculture-to-the-salton-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/sdpollutiontrackers\/2024\/12\/15\/from-fields-to-waters-how-microplastics-travel-through-agriculture-to-the-salton-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"From Fields to Waters: How Microplastics Travel Through Agriculture to the Salton Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why Do Microplastics Matter?<\/b><\/p>\n

Microplastics are everywhere! They can be found in our oceans, rivers, air, and even the food we eat. They are very tiny in size (the tip of your pencil eraser and smaller) and are persistent in the environment, making them a growing concern for our ecosystems and even human health. With the growing use of plastics in agriculture the very industry itself is contaminating its own product. Microplastics have the ability to settle in soils, which lets the plants intake them. Which then leaves humans vulnerable to ingesting the microplastics which may have negative health effects due to the chemical makeup of the plastics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Salton Sea is a highly stressed body of water in the California desert, and is no exception to the impacts of microplastics. Could agricultural runoff be a significant source of microplastics in the region? We wanted to find out to help us understand the global significance that microplastic pollution can have, check out <\/span>this cool article<\/span><\/a> by Yale University explaining microplastics more in depth and more on their impact on the environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Hypothesis: Where Will the Microplastics Take Us?<\/b><\/p>\n

The purpose of our study was to determine if there is microplastic pollution in the Salton Sea region, and to determine if the large agricultural industry in the area was to blame. We hypothesized that the irrigation runoff leaving agricultural fields would carry higher concentrations of microplastics than cleaner water entering these fields due to the amount of plastics used by the industry. Furthermore, we expected the Salton Sea, where all agricultural runoff collects, to have the highest microplastic concentrations. Aiming to shine a light on how the farming practices in the region may contribute to pollution, offering insights into a crucial but surprisingly under-researched problem for the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sampling the Salton Sea and Techniques<\/b>
\n<\/b>Five total sites were tested:<\/span><\/p>\n