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Microplastic Pollution in a Small River with an Agriculture-dominated Catchment under Different Rainfall Conditions: Transport Scaling, Characteristics and Ecological Risk Assessment
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Researchers measured microplastic pollution in a small farm-area river during dry periods and rainstorms. Heavy rain increased microplastic levels up to 1,100-fold, mostly polyethylene film particles, and ecological risk scores rose from moderate to extremely high due to toxic plastics washing into the water.
The agriculture cluster is recognized as a cryptic hotspot of microplastic pollution. Especially, rainfall-driven microplastic (MP) dynamics in small agricultural rivers have not been adequately quantified under various hydrological conditions. This study quantified MP concentrations, loads, characteristics, and ecological risks under baseline dry conditions and during four rainfall events of varying intensities in a small agricultural river. During baseline conditions, MP concentrations were low (10–53 particles/m 3 ), whereas during heavy rainfall events, concentrations peaked at 2,187–3,253 particles/m 3 , representing up to 1,100-fold increases compared to dry conditions. The power-law equation and L–Q analysis showed shallower MP scaling ( n = 1.38) than total suspended solids (TSS) ( n = 2.22), reflecting source-limited and neutrally buoyant transport. Polyethylene was the dominant polymer (76–95%), and film-shaped particles comprised more than 50% of the morphologies, which is consistent with agricultural plastic use. The potential risk index (PRI) increased sharply from moderate under baseline conditions (151) to extremely high during heavy rainfall (5,400), driven by the episodic mobilization of highly toxic polymers such as polyvinyl chloride and phenol–formaldehyde. These results demonstrate the episodic nature of the MP ecological risk in agricultural rivers and underscore the need for targeted management during rainfall periods.
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Event-Based Variations in Microplastic Pollution in a Small Agricultural River During Rainfall
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Scientists studied tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in a farming river and found that rainfall dramatically increases the amount of plastic pollution flowing downstream—up to 600 times more plastic particles during heavy rain compared to normal conditions. Most of these microplastics came from agricultural plastic films used by farmers, and over half of the pollution washed away in just the first part of each rainstorm. This matters because these contaminated rivers can carry microplastics into our drinking water sources and food chain, so reducing plastic use on farms could significantly cut this pollution.
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Researchers quantified macroplastic (>5 cm) accumulation under different weather conditions near a farmland river in Japan, finding that rainy-day collection rates (~1.39 samples/hour/m2) nearly doubled those of sunny days (~0.87 samples/hour/m2). The study demonstrates that rainfall is a key driver of macroplastic mobilisation and transport in agricultural river systems.
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Researchers measured macro- and microplastic concentrations in Mediterranean freshwaters during dry and wet weather periods, finding that rainfall events dramatically increased plastic loads in urban waterways. More urbanized catchments showed higher plastic concentrations during storm events, confirming that urban stormwater runoff is a major driver of microplastic input to rivers. The study highlights the importance of monitoring during and after rain events to capture the full scale of plastic pollution in urban rivers.
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