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Source, fate, toxicity, and remediation of micro-plastic in wetlands: A critical review
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics enter, accumulate in, and damage natural wetlands — ecosystems that filter water and support biodiversity — finding that while wetlands may actually trap plastic particles like a sink, the resulting contamination poses serious ecological risks that are still poorly understood.
Microplastics (MPs) are recognized as emerging contaminants due to their small size, hazardous nature, and widespread abundance in the environmental compartments. As the largest sink of MPs, oceans are currently the study's main focus. However, the question about MP particles applies to all environmental niches, including natural wetlands. Unfortunately, natural wetlands have been not explored much in comparison to the ocean and the terrestrial ecosystem for MP occurrence and its toxicity. Meanwhile, these natural wetlands offer important ecological services and have a high biodiversity, both of which could be compromised by the rising levels of MP contamination in such systems. However, due to limited research in natural wetlands possible ecological repercussions are still lacking. Even there are uncertainties about MPs in the wetlands regarding their distribution and fate. Since these wetlands have the potential to trap plastics and could act as a sink for MPs, it becomes essential to investigate the natural wetland for MP contamination and its possible toxicological risks in wetlands. This review summarised the source, potential sink and toxicological consequences of MPs in natural wetlands. The review also illustrated the advancements in the technologies aiming to remove plastic debris from the natural environment.
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Wetland ecosystems act as important sinks for micro- and nanoplastics, which were found to cause ecotoxicological effects on wetland plants, animals, and microbial communities, including shifts in microbial composition relevant to pollutant removal. Micro/nanoplastics exposure also affected conventional pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions from wetland systems.
From source to sink: Review and prospects of microplastics in wetland ecosystems
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This review synthesizes sources, distribution pathways, migration, and fate of microplastics in wetland ecosystems, which occupy the boundary zone between aquatic and terrestrial environments. It identifies wetlands as both important sinks and potential secondary sources of microplastics and calls for more research on microplastic dynamics in these transitional habitats.
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This review examines microplastic pollution in wetland ecosystems, which sit between land and water and act as natural filters. Microplastics in wetlands come from sewage, agricultural runoff, and atmospheric deposition, with polyethylene and polypropylene fibers and fragments being the most common types found. The paper highlights that microplastics can harm wetland plants, animals, and microbes, and may even increase greenhouse gas emissions by serving as an unusual carbon source for soil microorganisms.
Micro- and nanoplastic pollution in wetland ecosystems: Ecological risks, health implications, and mitigation strategies toward a One Health future.
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This review paper summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles, called micro- and nanoplastics, building up in wetlands. It explains how wetlands trap these particles, which can change over time, mix with other pollutants, and move through food chains, potentially affecting wildlife, livestock, and human health.
Migration characteristics of microplastics based on source-sink investigation in a typical urban wetland
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Researchers investigated microplastic migration in a typical urban wetland by examining sources and sinks including surface water, sediment, and agricultural waste, revealing how wetlands serve as transitional systems channeling urban microplastic pollution into freshwater environments.
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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.