Spring field campaign completed – data analysis now underway!

Last spring, our research team at Wageningen University completed the first intensive field campaign investigating wind erosion and the atmospheric transport and deposition of dust, dust-bound pesticides, and microplastics. From March to July, we took samples every two weeks, resulting in nine sampling periods. This is a crucial step in understanding how pesticides and microplastics travel with airborne particles, thereby contributing to environmental contamination and negatively impacting  ecosystems.

Our field set up included a combination of dust collectiors, high-volume samplers (including one cascade impactor) and various meteorological instruments:

• Airborne sediments collected by dust collectors — analysed for the presence of microplastics (MP), pesticide residues, and to determine particle size distribution.
• Quartz microfibre filters from a cascade impactor — capturing the smallest airborne fractions to study nanoplastics (NP).
• Meteorological data (wind speed at 4 different heights, wind direction and rainfall) and turbulence/eddy covariance measurements obtained from a weather station and sonic anemometer.

Together, these datasets will help us trace how particles move through the atmosphere and deposit onto surrounding landscapes.

Highlights

Despite variable weather conditions, sediment collection was sufficient during at least three of the nine sampling periods, providing a solid basis for chemical and microplastic analysis.

It is interesting to note that we observed wind erosion phenomena originating in the south-west (SW) quadrant, while the prevailing winds were blowing from the north-east (NE). This reversal challenges some of our initial assumptions and highlights the complexity of local wind dynamics in dust transport.

Wind erosion and significant dust emission were observed during the field campaign. Ideal conditions for wind erosion were especially observed during the first month of the campaign (half of March and half of April), where dry conditions, bare field and very high wind velocities resulted in the collection of a significant amount of airborne sediments. Although the prevailing south-westerly (SW) wind we had forecast did not blow consistently, there were still several hours of strong SW winds that stirred up dust and carried it across the field we were studying.

Lessons Learned

The spring campaign provided not only valuable data, but also important practical information for improving future fieldwork:

• Wind direction is important: the effectiveness of our sampling depended heavily on wind variability, which will guide adjustments for next year’s configuration.
• The location of instruments in the grass strip affected local airflow and sediment collection efficiency. The placement of the instruments on the grass strip was necessary to provide the farmer with sufficient space to use his spraying machinery. Although this configuration affected local air circulation and sediment collection efficiency, we resolved the issue by entering into new agreements with the farmer to mow the grass more frequently so that tall vegetation does not influence the measurements. The site configuration will be optimised for future campaigns.
• New real-time continuous PM10 (Particulate matter) measurements will be carried out to measure finer particles on a much higher temporal resolution. 
• Sensor issues have been identified and will be resolved before the next season to ensure continuous, high-quality data collection.

Why it matters

The transport of dust and associated contaminants in the atmosphere has significant implications:

• Air quality and public health — inhaling contaminated dust can pose risks to nearby communities.
• Food production and safety — pesticide and microplastic deposition can affect crops and soil fertility.
• Biodiversity — pesticide and plastic drift threatens non-target species in surrounding habitats.
• Soil and freshwater health — deposition processes influence nutrient cycling and contaminant accumulation.

By linking field observations with environmental modeling, we aim to better quantify these interactions and inform sustainable land management strategies.