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Spatial hotspots of microplastic accumulation in sediment associated with stream outflows into lakes and estuaries
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Researchers mapped and analyzed sediment along transects from stream mouths into lake and estuary systems to identify spatial hotspots of microplastic accumulation associated with stream-to-slack-water transitions. Sediment was collected at four study sites and processed through density separations to characterize microplastic accumulation patterns driven by hydrodynamic transitions from flowing to depositional environments.
Microplastics are a major form of anthropogenic pollution, and over time, the sediment at the bottom of aquatic environments becomes the sink for the denser of these particles. By mapping and analyzing sediment from lake and estuary systems, this study aimed to find spatial relationships between water and sediment dynamics at stream-to-slack-water transitions and resulting microplastic sediment accumulation characteristics. Sediment was collected along transects extending from the stream mouth to open water depositional environments at four unique study sites. After a series of separations from collected sediment, microplastics were weighed to map longitudinal variations in plastic concentration. At all study sites, the highest concentrations of microplastics (up to 14% dry weight) in sediment were found to focus in spatial hotspots peaking 600–700 m down gradient from the transition to a low-energy environment in intertidal freshwater estuary systems, and 150 m downstream in a lake system, all being associated with environments of clay-dominated sediment deposition. The dominant types of plastics identified were cellophane and polydimethylsiloxane. We hypothesize these spatial hotspots of microplastic accumulation may result from the unique diversity of density ranges for microplastic sediment, ranging from just above 1 g/cm3, but below the 2.7 g/cm3 common for natural mineral sediment, thus creating plastic depositional locations that are spatially offset from those of common mineral grains.
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Researchers characterized the mass concentration distribution of marine microplastics in estuarine and coastal environments, measuring spatial gradients between river mouths and open coastal waters and identifying estuaries as major transition zones for microplastic flux.
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The temporal distribution and seasonal fluxes of microplastics in the sediments of an unnamed urban waterway were quantified, revealing patterns in how microplastic accumulation varies with season, runoff, and flow conditions. The findings highlight how urban water systems act as sinks and transport pathways for microplastic pollution.
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Microplastic spatial distribution and polymer types were mapped in intertidal sediments of Portuguese estuaries, environments that act as transition zones between rivers and the sea. The study found both buoyant and non-buoyant microplastics accumulating in estuarine sediments, highlighting their role as microplastic sinks.
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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.