We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Microplastic patterns in riverine waters and leaf litter: Leaf bag technique to investigate the microplastic accumulation trends in lotic ecosystems
AI summary Read the abstract
A study of a river in northeastern Italy found microplastic concentrations in the water were highest during low-flow periods, and that leaf bag traps placed in the river accurately tracked these patterns — showing wastewater discharge points were key hotspots of contamination. The findings suggest that maintaining higher river flows helps dilute and transport microplastics downstream, and that the leaf bag method is a practical new tool for monitoring plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems.
Microplastics (MPs) are one of the major ecological concerns of the last years and despite the increasing interest and the rise of many studies regarding freshwater habitats, many aspects about distribution patterns, transport pathways and impacts of MPs in those systems need to be investigated. The present study characterizes the temporal trends of MP concentrations in waters of a riverine stretch of the northeastern Italy, subject to flow rate variations and investigates the MP accumulations patterns in the leaf litter, simulated in situ via leaf bag technique. MP concentrations in the water were significantly and negatively correlated to the flow rate regimes, with higher concentrations observed during low discharge periods. MPs accumulation in leaf bags agreed with trends observed in the water and the presence of wastewater discharge points positively affects the levels of MP contaminations within the leaf bags. These findings seem to suggest that the maintenance of a hydrological regime at relatively high levels in the investigated system could allow to maintain the self-purifying riverine processes and the disposal of microplastics like any other polluting substance. The use of leaf bag technique for the purpose to investigate MP accumulation trends on field provided useful information, is easy to modulate in terms of time periods and allow to record the evolution of the MP patterns also in relation to high flow rate episodes. Our results suggest that the method can be employed in new a perspective, to improve the knowledge about one of the major threats of the Anthropocene.
More Papers Like This
Spatio-temporal characteristics of microplastics in river surface water: insights from multi-year field monitoring.
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers sampled river water across two years and four seasons to study tiny plastic particles. Microplastic counts were higher in dry seasons than rainy seasons, mainly because higher water flow diluted them, and city pollution sources created persistent hotspots. Flux (the total amount moving through the river) and discharge showed a linear relationship.
Is There a Difference in Yield? A Comparative Analysis of Microplastics Sampling Techniques in River Water with a Low-Velocity Flow
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers compared three microplastic sampling techniques in low-velocity river water, quantifying differences in particle abundance and characteristics to evaluate which method most accurately captures microplastic concentrations in surface water environments.
Microplastic contamination on urban river under different precipitation rate and land use gradient
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers sampled water, sediment, and fish across nine sites in a Javanese urban stream through wet and dry seasons, finding that microplastic abundance in water was higher during dry conditions when developed land use concentrated runoff, while seasonal flushing during the wet season obscured these land-use patterns and fish accumulation depended more on species behavior than pollution levels.
Spatio and temporal dynamics of microplastic fluxes within the watercourses of a peri-urban watershed
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers tracked the spatiotemporal dynamics of microplastic fluxes within a river catchment over time, linking plastic transport patterns to land use activities. The study found that land use type is a key driver of when and how much microplastic enters and moves through watercourses.
Temporal variation of floatable plastic particles in the largest Italian river, the Po
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that plastic particle concentrations in Italy's Po River varied significantly over time in 2019, with 5,063 particles collected and 80.6% being fragments, providing temporal data on riverine plastic flux to the Adriatic Sea.
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.