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Distribution and fate of microplastics in river sediment downstream of a reservoir: the interplay of a storm event and aquatic plants
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Scientists found that big storms and river plants both cause more tiny plastic bits to pile up in river sediment, storms wash in a surge of small plastic pieces, while plants act like a natural filter, trapping even more. This matters because rivers are a major source of drinking water and food (like fish), so understanding how microplastics build up helps researchers figure out where contamination is worst and how to reduce it, potentially by using aquatic plants as a low-cost cleanup tool.
River sediments are primary sinks for microplastics (MPs) while the MPs hazards are of great concern. River depth and anthropogenic activities are reported to influence MPs distribution, but emerging evidence suggests that extreme events and biological interactions also alter MPs fate. Here, we conducted a one-year monitoring program in a river section downstream of a reservoir to investigate the impacts of a flood event caused by increased reservoir discharge and aquatic plants on the MPs characteristics in sediments. A significant increase in MPs abundance was observed in July (post-flood; 551–4174 items/kg) and September (during peak plant proliferation; 4104–4908 items/kg). MPs abundance showed a positive correlation with aquatic plant biomass and density. The Granger causality test suggested that other environmental factors simultaneously influence MPs accumulation. Redundancy analysis further confirmed that current velocity and discharge remained significant factors shaping MPs composition, and the flood was significantly associated with an increase in small-sized MPs. Our findings demonstrated that storm events could induce a short-term increase in MPs abundance and aquatic plant communities can enhance MPs deposition and acting as a biological sieve. Future control and management of MPs pollution can introduce aquatic plants and need to consider the far-reaching impacts of extreme events.
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Researchers investigated how storm events affect microplastic concentrations in river sediments, finding that flood conditions remobilize stored particles and significantly increase microplastic loads in fluvial systems. The study identified key physical controls on microplastic storage and transport in river channels.
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Researchers sampled both microplastics and macroplastics at four sites along an urban river in Ontario, Canada during normal flow and storm conditions. The study found that storm events significantly influence plastic transport dynamics, with flow conditions affecting how much plastic pollution is retained in or flushed through urban river systems toward downstream water bodies.
Effects of seasonal variation and resuspension on microplastics in river sediments
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Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in river sediments across multiple seasons and examined the role of resuspension events, finding that MP levels varied significantly by season and that high-flow events released previously deposited particles, redistributing contamination downstream.
Aquatic plants entrap different size of plastics in indoor flume experiments
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Researchers found that aquatic plants effectively entrap plastics in riverine environments, with plant species and plastic particle size influencing retention rates, suggesting vegetation plays an important role in limiting downstream plastic transport.
River plastic during floods: Amplified mobilization, limited river-scale dispersion
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Researchers investigated plastic mobilization, transport, and retention dynamics in rivers during flood conditions, finding that high-discharge flood events amplify plastic mobilization from riverbanks and floodplains but that river-scale dispersal of that plastic remains surprisingly limited. They found that most flood-mobilized plastic is re-deposited within the river catchment rather than exported to the ocean, reinforcing the concept that rivers act as both conduits and long-term reservoirs of plastic pollution.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.