Mapping Plant Bioaccumulation Potentials of Pesticides from Soil Using Satellite-Based Canopy Transpiration Rates

The transpiration rate is an important factor that determines the bioaccumulation potential of pesticides from soil and can present a spatiotemporal pattern. In the present study, we proposed a satellite-based approach to map the bioaccumulation potential of pesticides from soil using the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM). In the proposed model, the spatiotemporal variable (i.e., plant transpiration rate) was separately analyzed from the plant- and chemical-specific variables. The simulated bioaccumulation factors (BAFs; steady-state concentration ratios between plants and soil) of atrazine and lindane for the United States indicated that the proposed model can better predict the spatiotemporal pattern of bioaccumulation potentials of pesticides from soil than a previous weather-based model. The proposed approach using GLEAM's satellite data avoids the overestimation of plant transpiration rate in regions with a dry and warm climate. The comparison of BAFs between the proposed and weather-based models indicated that the satellite-based simulation was consistent with the weather-based simulation for most states and was more effective for the southwest region. Furthermore, plant- and chemical-specific variables were simulated for over 700 pesticides, which could be multiplied by satellite-based canopy transpiration rates to map the bioaccumulation potentials of chemicals from soil. Further evaluation of plant-specific variables, partitioning behaviors of ionizable compounds, and multiple uptake routes (e.g., airborne residue deposition) will aid in the evaluation of the spatiotemporal patterns of pesticide BAFs in plants in future research. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:117-129. © 2022 SETAC.