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Competing effects of bed sediments on turbulence-driven microfiber infiltration
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Tiny plastic fibers from clothing and textiles don't just sit on top of riverbeds and ocean floors — this study found that water turbulence pushes them deep into sediment, especially when the sand is fine to medium-grained, and this happens no matter how "settled" the sediment bed is. This matters because it means these microfibers are likely getting trapped and buried in natural water systems more than we realized, which could affect how they build up in the environment and eventually enter the food chain, including seafood we eat.
Microfibers (MFs) are the most common microplastics found in most terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Little is known about the mechanisms by which MFs are sequestered in sediment beds. Specifically, we aim to determine how dynamic infiltration, fueled by natural turbulence, is mediated by both sediment consolidation times and sediment bed granulometry. To ascertain the dynamic infiltration of MFs in sediment beds, a series of tests with turbulence dissipations ranging from 1.01 to 4.15 cm 2 s -3 were carried out. An oscillating grid was used to create shear-free turbulence in a system where eight distinct synthetic types of MFs (varying in length, diameter, and polymer type) were previously deposited over a sediment bed. Four sediment consolidation times and six granulometries were considered to get more knowledge on the MF infiltration into the sediment caused by turbulence on the bottom floors of fresh and marine environments. It was discovered that during the applied turbulence, the finer part of the sediment bed with the 10 th - percentile of particle diameter d 10 , the MF diameter, the shape of the MFs, their flexibility, the shear velocity and the MF settling velocity affected how deeply the MFs infiltrated the sediment floor. Interestingly, the sequestration of MFs deposited in sediment floors was independent of the sediments' time of consolidation. Unlike previous experimental observations, this study demonstrated that infiltration occurs even when the microfiber-to-sediment diameter ratio exceeds 1 indicating the high capacity of sediment layers to allow MF infiltration. The MF infiltration was maximized for beds composed of fine and medium sands.
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Infiltration of Microfibers in Sediment Beds in Moderate- to High-Turbulent Aquatic Environments
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Researchers conducted flume experiments to determine how turbulence intensity drives the dynamic infiltration of microfibers into sediment beds, testing eight fiber types varying in length, diameter, and polymer type across shear rates from 10 to 20 s-1. The results show that turbulence significantly fuels vertical microfiber infiltration in aquatic sediments, contributing to deep sediment microplastic accumulation.
Infiltration of Microfibers in Sediment Beds in Moderate- to High-Turbulent Aquatic Environments
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Researchers conducted flume experiments to quantify the infiltration of microfibers into sediment beds under moderate- to high-turbulent aquatic conditions, testing eight microfiber types varying in length, diameter, and polymer type across shear rates from 10 to 20 s-1. The results demonstrate that turbulence intensity significantly drives vertical microfiber infiltration depth in sediment, contributing to microplastic accumulation in aquatic sediment ecosystems.
The effects of stream bed motion and fiber length on microplastic deposition
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Scientists studying how microplastic fibers move through streams and rivers found that when the streambed itself is stirred up (like during heavy flow or storms), plastic fibers get swept back into the water instead of settling into the sediment—and longer fibers are more likely to stay buried when the streambed is calm. This matters because it helps explain where microplastic pollution actually accumulates in waterways, which affects how much of it ends up in the food chain (via fish and other aquatic life) and eventually on our plates.
Understanding the role of turbulence and biofilm on low density microplastic dynamics: An experimental approach towards natural conditions
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Flume experiments showed that turbulence in rivers significantly increases the frequency with which buoyant low-density microplastics come into contact with bacterial biofilms on the riverbed — and that this biofilm contact, while capturing only a small percentage of passing particles, helps explain why lightweight plastics are consistently found buried in river sediments despite their tendency to float. The study reveals a two-step process: turbulence drives plastics toward the riverbed, and biofilm properties then control how many stick. This has implications for predicting where microplastics accumulate and how they move through freshwater systems.
Turbulence-informed kinetic theory of inertial-range fibre fragmentation
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Scientists developed a new model to predict how tiny plastic fibers (like those from synthetic clothing) break apart in ocean water due to turbulent currents and waves. The model successfully explains why environmental studies consistently find certain sizes of plastic microfibers in the ocean. This research helps us better understand how plastic pollution spreads in marine environments, which is important since these microfibers can enter the food chain and potentially affect human health.
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