We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
The key role of surface tension in the transport and quantification of plastic pollution in rivers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers discovered that surface tension — the same force that lets insects walk on water — traps a large portion of floating plastic in rivers at the water's surface, meaning current monitoring methods that only sample the surface may underestimate total riverine plastic pollution by up to 90%.
Current riverine plastic monitoring best practices mainly consider surface observations, thus neglecting the underlying distribution of plastics in the water column. Bias on plastic budgets estimations hinders advances on modelling and prediction of plastics fate. Here, we experimentally disclose the structure of plastics transport in surface water flows by investigating how thousands of samples of plastics commonly found in fluvial environments travel in turbulent river flows. We show for the first time that surface tension plays a key role in the transport of plastics since its effects can be of the same magnitude as buoyancy and turbulence, therefore holding a part of the dispersed buoyant plastics captive by the water surface. We investigate two types of transport; surfaced plastics (surface tension-turbulence-buoyancy dominated), in contact with the free surface, and suspended plastics (turbulence-buoyancy dominated). We prove that this duality in transport modes is a major source of error in the estimation of plastic budgets, which can be underestimated by 90 % following current, well-established monitoring protocols if sampling is conducted solely in the water surface. Based on our empirical findings, we optimize physics-driven monitoring strategies for plastic fluxes in rivers, thereby achieving over a ten-fold reduction of the bias and uncertainty of riverine plastic pollution estimates.
More Papers Like This
Tiny water-walking bugs provide scientists with insights on how microplastics are pushed underwater
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied water-walking insects to understand the surface tension and hydrodynamic forces that determine whether microplastic particles float or sink, providing mechanistic insight into how plastic pollutants move at the water surface interface. Understanding the physical mechanisms governing microplastic transport in water bodies is essential for modeling contamination spread and predicting exposure risk for aquatic organisms across different depth zones.
The role of biofilm and hydrodynamics on the fate of microplastic particles in rivers: an experimental study
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted experimental flume studies to investigate how biofilm formation and hydrodynamic conditions jointly govern microplastic particle fate in rivers, examining why some urbanized and industrialized river reaches show no significant upstream-to-downstream increase in microplastic concentration despite theoretical inputs.
Below the surface: A laboratorial research to the vertical distribution of buoyant plastics in rivers
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted laboratory experiments measuring the vertical distribution of buoyant plastic litter in flowing water, finding that significant amounts of plastic are transported at depth rather than only at the surface. This challenges surface-only monitoring approaches and suggests conventional plastic flux estimates in rivers may undercount actual loads.
Isokinetic pump sampling – first application results and contribution of smallest microplastic fractions to riverine transport
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists developed a new way to detect the tiniest plastic particles in rivers that older methods couldn't catch. They found these ultra-small microplastics make up a surprisingly large portion of all plastic pollution flowing through waterways. This matters because these tiny particles are more likely to travel long distances and potentially end up in our drinking water and food supply.
Influence of microplastics on nutrients and metal concentrations in river sediments
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how microplastics influence nutrient and metal concentrations in river sediments, finding that microplastics alter the distribution of pollutants through their capacity to adsorb contaminants and support biofilm formation on their hydrophobic surfaces.
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.