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Microplastics in a touristic and a remote freshwater lake in Türkiye: comparative patterns in water and sediments
Original title: Microplastics in a touristic and a remote freshwater lake in Türkiye: comparative patterns in water and sediments
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Scientists compared tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in two Turkish lakes—one popular with tourists and one remote and untouched—and found plastic pollution in both, even the lake far from people. This suggests microplastics can travel long distances through wind, water, or sediment rather than just coming from local sources like tourists, meaning even "pristine" lakes we drink from or swim in may not be as plastic-free as they seem.
Abstract Microplastics (MPs) have been increasingly reported in freshwater systems; however, comparative evidence from lakes under contrasting anthropogenic stressors, including tourism pressure, recreational activities, and local wastewater inputs remains limited. In this study, we quantified and characterized MPs in water and sediment samples collected from two freshwater lakes in Trabzon, Türkiye: Uzungöl Lake (highly touristic and human-influenced: high-impact) and Aygır Lake (relatively remote: low-impact). MPs were assessed in the water and sediment compartments and characterized by size, color, shape, and polymer type. MPs were detected in both lakes, with a higher abundance in the sediment compartments. Although the high-impact lake exhibited a higher overall MP occurrence, sediment MP loads were broadly comparable between the two lakes. Welch’s t -test did not detect a statistically significant difference in sediment MP abundance between lakes, although absolute counts were numerically higher in the high-impact lake. Nevertheless, some morphological differences were observed between lakes. The high-impact lake showed a more mixed fiber-fragment composition that may reflect ongoing and diverse MP inputs, whereas the low-impact lake exhibited greater fragment dominance, potentially more weathered signatures characterized by fragment dominance and faded grey-colored particles. Sediment particle-size distributions ( µ m scale) also appeared more variable than those observed in water samples, which may be associated with selective deposition and longer sediment residence times. Similarly, color profiles suggested potentially more heterogeneous sources in the high-impact lake and comparatively more weathered signatures in the low-impact lake. Overall, while these observations should be considered preliminary due to limited sample size, they suggest that MP accumulation in sediments may be influenced not only by local anthropogenic pressure but also by regional transport and sediment retention processes.
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