We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Underestimated land-to-sea microplastic emissions: The crucial role of rainfall events
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated microplastic emission characteristics during a rainfall event in Masan Bay, Korea, using time-weighted sampling in the Samhochoen stream to capture temporal variation in microplastic loads. They found that microplastic abundance peaked during early runoff stages and was strongly influenced by rainfall intensity, with polypropylene and polyethylene accounting for roughly 60% of detected polymers.
Microplastics are ubiquitous in various environmental media, with terrestrial environments considered important sources of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems. Urban rivers represent the major pathway for land-based microplastics in the global oceans, yet studies on temporal variation and input characteristics of microplastics through rivers during a rainfall event are limited. Herein, we investigated the emission characteristics and loads of microplastics into Masan Bay transported through the Samhochoen (the stream flowing into Masan Bay) during a rainfall event by applying time-weighted sampling. The abundance of microplastics ranged from 4.60 n/L to 118 n/L, and event mean concentrations (EMCs) of them were 29.87 n/L. The abundance of microplastics peaked in the early runoff stage and varied according to rainfall intensity during a rainfall event. Polypropylene and polyethylene were found as major polymers, accounting for around 60 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559422/document
More Papers Like This
Underestimated land-to-sea microplastic emissions: The crucial role of rainfall events
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated the emission characteristics and loads of microplastics transported into Masan Bay via the Samhocheon stream during a rainfall event using time-weighted sampling, finding microplastic abundances ranging from 4.60 to 118 particles per liter with an event mean concentration of 29.87 particles per liter. They found that microplastic concentrations peaked during early runoff and varied with rainfall intensity, with polypropylene and polyethylene accounting for approximately 60% of detected polymers.
Microplastic emission characteristics of stormwater runoff in an urban area: Intra-event variability and influencing factors
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that stormwater runoff from both industrial and residential urban catchments contained substantial microplastics (54–639 particles per liter), with polypropylene and polyethylene dominating, and that microplastic concentrations peaked early in rain events following longer dry periods.
Inter-event and intra-event dynamics of microplastic emissions in an urban river during rainfall episodes
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted high-frequency sampling of microplastics in a Japanese urban river during three different rainfall events to understand how storms mobilize plastic pollution. They found that rainfall events increased microplastic loads by 4 to 110 times compared to dry weather, with smaller particles mobilizing first during lighter rains and larger particles surging after peak rainfall intensity. The study reveals that storm dynamics play a critical role in determining when and how microplastics are flushed from urban areas into waterways.
Stormwater runoff microplastics: Polymer types, particle size, and factors controlling loading rates
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers characterized microplastics in stormwater runoff samples collected at urban outfall locations. The study identified 17 different polymer types across various storm events, with concentrations around 0.99 particles per liter for the 500-1000 micrometer size range, and found that rainfall intensity and land use were key factors controlling microplastic loading rates.
Atmospheric deposition as a pathway for microplastic transport to the marine environment: Temporal variation and environmental factors
AI summary Read the abstract
A year-long study in a South Korean coastal bay found that atmospheric dry and wet deposition delivers a measurable and seasonally variable load of microplastics to the marine surface, with wind speed, rainfall, and dust events driving the temporal patterns. This confirms that the atmosphere is a significant and often overlooked transport route for microplastics from land to ocean.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.