The Influence of Urban Density on Microplastic Distribution in Soil: A Case Study of the City of West Haven & New Haven

Date of Submission

12-14-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Biology and Environmental Sciences

Advisor

Jean-Paul Simjouw, Ph.D.

Keywords

Microplastics, Soil Health, Urban Density, Microplastic Density, Spatial Interpolation, Land Zone Usage

MeSH

Microplastics, Soil Pollutants, Models, Spatial Analysis, Ecosystem

LCSH

Microplastics, Inorganic soil pollutants, Urban Density, Spatial analysis (Statistics), Ecological zones

Abstract

The presence of microplastics in terrestrial environments significantly impacts soil health, with urban density exacerbating the distribution of microplastics across soil in urban environments. With the rise of plastic pollutants in urban environments, it is essential to understand the relationship between urban density and microplastic density. This study examined the impact of urban zoning on the density distribution of microplastics across five sites in New Haven and West Haven, Connecticut using density-based extraction and microscopic identification. Fibers and Fragments were the dominant form of microplastics with a total average of 10.7 particles per 50g of soil. Spatial interpolation reveals slight microplastic density across sites, however ANOVA indicates no statistical significance (F (4,5) = 1.15, p =0.43) suggesting widespread distribution disregarding land zone usage. Only ten samples were accounted for, of which all sites were near urban infrastructure. The findings provide a preliminary framework for assessing microplastic pollution in terrestrial ecosystems and developing interdisciplinary solutions to mitigate urban microplastic pollution.

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