We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Floating Riverine Litter Flux to the White Sea: Seasonal Changes in Abundance and Composition
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted the first assessment of floating macro litter entering the White Sea from two Arctic rivers, documenting seasonal changes in abundance and composition from May to November 2021 and establishing a baseline for litter flux in this understudied Arctic region.
Arctic rivers bring litter from their basins to the sea, but accurate data for the Arctic do not exist yet. This study presents the first assessment of floating macro litter input (>2.5 cm) from the Northern Dvina and Onega rivers to the White Sea. The observations were performed based on the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) methodology and using the mobile application of the Joint Research Centre (Ispra, Italy). The results of observations from May 2021 to November 2021 show that 77% of floating objects were of natural origin (mainly leaves, wood and bird feathers). Of the particles of anthropogenic origin, 59.6% were represented by various types of plastics, 27.7% were processed wood, 8.5% paper/cardboard, 2.7% metal, 1.1% were rubber and <1% textiles. The average monthly input of anthropogenic macro litter by the Northern Dvina varies from 250 to 1700 items/hour, and by Onega from 520 to 2350 items/hour. The level of pollution of the studied rivers was found to be higher than in some Europeans rivers but lower than in China. The mass discharge of macroplastics in the Northern Dvina River was compared with the estimates of the discharge of meso- and microplastics; that allowed us to show that the discharge of macroplastics in mass units is much higher than of micro- and mesoplastics.
More Papers Like This
Assessment of seasonal variability of input of microplastics from the Northern Dvina River to the Arctic ocean.
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers monitored seasonal variation in microplastic concentrations in the Northern Dvina River near the White Sea across monthly samples from September to November and into 2020, finding fluctuations related to hydrology and human activity. The study provides early data on how seasonality affects microplastic export from a major Arctic river into polar waters.
Assessment of seasonal variability of input of microplastics from the Northern Dvina River to the Arctic Ocean
AI summary Read the abstract
Seasonal monitoring of floating microplastics and mesoplastics on the Northern Dvina River in the European Arctic was conducted at its mouth, finding that plastic loads varied substantially across seasons with peak concentrations during snowmelt and high-flow periods. The study estimates plastic inputs to the White Sea and Arctic Ocean from one of the largest rivers draining populated subarctic regions.
Plastic Pollution in an Arctic River: A Three-Year Study of Abundance, Mass, and Flux from the Northern Dvina to the White Sea
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted a three-year survey of floating microplastics and macroplastics in the Northern Dvina River using Neuston net sampling, finding low microplastic concentrations with no seasonal flux variability but notable contributions of meso/macroplastics — and identified the Dvina as a leading Arctic river source based on socioeconomic proximity indicators.
Modelling floating riverine litter in the south-eastern Bay of Biscay: a regional distribution from a seasonal perspective
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers modeled the seasonal behavior of floating litter released by rivers into the south-eastern Bay of Biscay using riverine litter characterization data, surface drifters, high-frequency radar observations, and Lagrangian simulations, providing a regional seasonal distribution analysis of floating marine litter transport from riverine sources.
Variability of plastic input from the Northern Dvina River
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers monitored floating plastics at the mouth of the Northern Dvina River in Russia over three open-water seasons, finding that polyethylene was the dominant plastic type and that concentrations varied seasonally and between years. Rivers like the Northern Dvina act as conveyor belts delivering microplastics from industrial and urban inland areas to the Arctic seas.
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.