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Floodplain vegetation filters microplastics during a major Rhine flood event
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Scientists found that plants in flood zones act like filters, trapping tiny plastic particles (microplastics) from river water during floods. Areas with more vegetation caught more of these plastic bits, which means floodplains could be hotspots where microplastics build up over time. This matters because these plastic-contaminated areas could affect the safety of crops grown there and potentially impact the food chain that reaches our dinner tables.
Abstract Microplastics enter rivers via various point and diffuse sources and are transported with the water. However, as their properties change over time in the aquatic environment, they may settle and accumulate at least temporarily in the riverbed. Increasing flow velocity during flood events facilitates remobilisation of microplastics and sediments, enabling their transport and redeposition further downstream and in adjacent floodplains. Floodplains are highly dynamic and vegetation-rich environments. Vegetation cover in floodplains generally increases both surface area and surface roughness, which slows down water flow during flooding and can enhance sediment deposition. While recent studies suggest that microplastic distribution in floodplains is influenced by factors such as local topography and flood frequency, the potential role of vegetation in microplastic deposition during flooding has yet to be analysed. Thus, this study investigates the retention of microplastics and natural sediments by floodplain grassland vegetation during a single major river flood. We sampled grassland vegetation in a Rhine floodplain in Northern Cologne (Germany) after a summer flooding in 2021 in a flooded area and compared it to a close non-flooded grassland that was only affected by atmospheric microplastic deposition. The deposits from both sampling sites were rinsed off from the plants and subjected to ZnCl $$_2$$ density separation. Organic matter was removed via enzymatic-oxidative purification, and remaining microplastics were analysed using μ-FPA-FTIR spectroscopy. Our study shows that (I) more vegetation biomass resulted in increased deposition of natural sediments and small microplastics (6–1000 μm). (II) Our results also indicate that microplastics and natural sediments follow different deposition dynamics. (III) Additionally, fluvial and atmospheric deposition on vegetation strongly differ in microplastic numbers, shapes, size and polymer type. Our study provides insights on the role of vegetation for microplastics retention and thus accumulation and distribution in floodplains at the interface of fluvial and terrestrial ecosystems.
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The role of floodplain vegetation in filtering microplastics during a major Rhine flood event
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Researchers investigated microplastic deposition on Rhine floodplain vegetation during a major flood event, finding that floodplain vegetation significantly increases hydraulic roughness and reduces flow velocities, enhancing MP capture and acting as an important filter for microplastics remobilized from the riverbed during high-discharge events.
Microplastic retention during a flood event by floodplain vegetation and their infiltration into the Rhine floodplain soil
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Scientists found that when rivers flood, tiny plastic particles get trapped by plants and then sink deep into floodplain soil, with the highest concentrations found in the top 15-18 inches of soil. Thicker, more complex vegetation captures more of these microplastics from floodwater, but the plastics don't stay on the surface—smaller pieces move deeper underground through soil cracks and animal burrows. This matters because floodplains near rivers may be accumulating microplastics that could potentially affect soil health and crops grown in these areas.
Filter effect of Rhine floodplain vegetation on microplastic deposition during a single flood event in Germany
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Researchers studied how Rhine floodplain vegetation filtered microplastic deposition during a single flood event in Germany, documenting that plant cover created distinct spatial deposition patterns and acted as a significant physical barrier concentrating particles compared to unvegetated floodplain surfaces.
Filter effect of Rhine floodplain vegetation on microplastic deposition during a single flood event in Germany
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Researchers examined the role of floodplain vegetation in controlling microplastic deposition during a single Rhine River flood event in Germany, finding that vegetation cover acts as a physical filter affecting spatial distribution of deposited microplastics beyond the topographic and flood-frequency controls identified in previous studies.
The fate of microplastics in Rhine floodplains: process and patterns of deposition, distribution and vertical migration in the soil
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Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution and vertical migration in three Rhine floodplains near Cologne, Germany, examining lateral distribution patterns, whether meadow vegetation filters microplastics during flooding, and vertical depth profiles in floodplain soils. The study found that microplastics deposit during flood events, with both lateral distance from the river and vegetation cover influencing spatial distribution and vertical penetration in floodplain soils.
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