We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
The plastic fingerprint: Temporal and spatial variability in Flanders' riverine plastic pollution
Summary
Researchers conducted coordinated monitoring of micro- and mesoplastic pollution across multiple rivers in Flanders, Belgium, to characterise spatial and temporal variability in the 'plastic fingerprint' - the polymer composition, particle size, and morphology profile - as influenced by local pollution sources and environmental factors like rainfall and wind. The study found that the plastic fingerprint varied significantly across sites and over time, indicating that local sources and hydrological conditions strongly shape riverine plastic contamination patterns.
Plastic pollution is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous class of contaminants with varying physicochemical properties, recently described as "the microplastome". This new paradigm may, however, oversimplify the issue as local pollution sources and riverine characteristics can cause differences on a spatial scale. Additionally, temporal influences such as rainfall or wind might alter influx of micro- and mesoplastics into rivers. To better understand spatial and temporal dynamics in the plastic fingerprint and their association with local and temporal parameters, a coordinated monitoring study was setup in Flanders, Belgium. Between 2020 and 2022, 355 samples were collected in the River Scheldt and five harbors. These samples were distributed into four categories based on matrix (water or sediment) and plastic size (micro- and mesoplastic). All plastics were characterized by polymer type, size, color, and shape. Local and temporal descriptors, such as population density, weather data, and river characteristics, were gathered from open-source data portals and processed using QGIS. Hierarchical clustering based on principal component analysis was performed to identify sample clusters based on plastic characteristics. The association between these clusters and the local and temporal descriptors was then analyzed. The results showed different clustering patterns for the four sample types, indicating different behavioral patterns and fates of meso- and microplastics in water and sediment. For microplastics, clustering was mainly based on size and polymer composition, while for mesoplastics in water, shape was a key factor. In all sample types, plastic fingerprints shifted over time and space, influenced by riverine characteristics, land use and weather parameters, showcasing the complexity of plastic pollution. In conclusion, our study reveals substantial variations in plastic fingerprints across both spatial and temporal scales, as well as among different environmental matrices and between meso- and microplastics. This complexity underscores the need for localized analysis to address environmental plastic pollution. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559019/document
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
The plastic fingerprint: Temporal and spatial variability in Flanders' riverine plastic pollution
Researchers investigated spatial and temporal variability in riverine plastic pollution across Flanders, Belgium, examining how local pollution sources, rainfall, and wind influence the distribution of micro- and mesoplastics in rivers and developing a fingerprinting approach to characterize the heterogeneous 'microplastome'.
A systems approach to understand microplastic occurrence and variability in Dutch riverine surface waters
Microplastic concentrations in two Dutch rivers ranged from 67 to 11,532 particles per cubic meter, varying by two orders of magnitude across space and one order over time, with polyethylene and polypropylene the most common polymers among 26 types identified. Rigorous quality assurance procedures including partial filter analysis guidelines are proposed to improve measurement reliability.
Source- and polymer-specific size distributions of fine microplastics in surface water in an urban river
Researchers investigated size distributions of fine microplastics from different sources in an urban river, finding that weathering and fragmentation produce a range of particle sizes and that source-specific size signatures can help trace microplastic origins.
Microplastic distribution in a meandering river bed and its sedimentary predictors
Researchers investigated microplastic distribution patterns within a meandering riverbed and identified sedimentary predictors of microplastic accumulation, advancing understanding of within-channel spatial variability that affects large-scale pollution quantification. The study found that specific geomorphological features of meandering channels are strong predictors of local microplastic hotspots in riverbed sediments.
Urbanization and hydrological conditions drive the spatial and temporal variability of microplastic pollution in the Garonne River
Researchers quantified microplastic concentrations across 14 sites in the Garonne River catchment in France, finding that urbanization drives spatial variation while seasonal hydrology shapes temporal patterns—with higher concentrations and smaller particles in warm, low-flow periods—and polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene dominating polymer composition.