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Spatial distribution of microplastics in a large watershed: a case study of the Ottawa River watershed

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2023 14 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Shaun A. Forrest, Jesse C. Vermaire Shaun A. Forrest, Shaun A. Forrest, Shaun A. Forrest, Shaun A. Forrest, Shaun A. Forrest, Shaun A. Forrest, Shaun A. Forrest, Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire Jesse C. Vermaire

Summary

A large-scale sampling survey of the Ottawa River watershed found microplastics at fairly uniform concentrations across 105 locations, with no dramatic accumulation downstream — except at boat launch sites, which showed higher levels. The results suggest that microplastic inputs are distributed across the whole watershed rather than originating from a few point sources, complicating efforts to control pollution at the river system scale.

Study Type Environmental

River water was sampled at 105 locations in the Ottawa River watershed and analysed for microplastics. Sampling techniques were standardised and replicated at each sample location to give an indication of the spatial extent of microplastics at the watershed scale. Microplastic concentrations remained largely uniform, with no clear accumulation of microplastics towards the lower reaches of the watershed. An ANCOVA analysis determined that the only significant relationships to microplastic concentration were distance downstream on the main channel and tributaries and an increase of microplastic concentrations at boat launch locations. However, these relationships were not strong (R value of 0.15) and suggest a more complex interaction of microplastics in large watersheds. It is recommended that further research on microplastic pollution in rivers needs to also focus on temporal factors in addition to considering sinks as an important element in the distribution of microplastics at the watershed scale.

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