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Comparative Analysis of Plastic Pieces in Basin, River and Coast: Case Study in the Hikiji River Basin, Kanagawa Prefecture
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This Japanese study tracked plastic fragment dynamics from river basin roads through rivers to coastal beaches in the Hikiji River watershed in Kanagawa Prefecture. Results showed that low-density polymers PE, PP, and PS were more prevalent in river and coastal debris than in road surface accumulations.
プラごみの発生源である流域から河川, 海岸にわたるプラスチック動態に関する研究事例は少ない。本研究では, 流域～河川～海岸における5 mm以上も含むプラスチック片の動態を解明することを目的として, 神奈川県引地川流域における流域 (道路) ・河川・海岸漂着物のプラスチック片調査を行った。標本粒子の回収試験結果より, 本研究のプラスチック片の対象サイズを1 mm以上とした。観測結果より, 用途地域間の道路堆積物中のプラスチック片数密度と質量濃度は, 各々商業, 住居地域が有意に大きく, その要因にプラスチック片サイズ分布が影響していることが示された。プラスチック片の材質を道路・河川・海岸で比べたところ, 河岸・海岸漂着物では比重の小さいPE (ポリエチレン) とPP (プリプロピレン) , PS (ポリスチレン) が卓越するが, 道路堆積物では大幅に少ないことが明らかとなった。
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Survey on Microplastics and Macroscopic Floating Garbage in River, Coasts, and Estuary in the Eastern Part of Takamatsu City, Japan
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Researchers surveyed microplastics and macroscopic floating litter in rivers, coasts, and estuaries in eastern Takamatsu City, Japan, finding PE and PP dominated microplastics in both river and coastal environments, and that plastic fragments, bags, and cigarette butts were the most common macro-litter items with distribution influenced by wind and wave conditions.
Assessment of the sources and inflow processes of microplastics in the river environments of Japan
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Researchers mapped microplastic concentrations across 29 Japanese rivers and found plastic particles present at 31 of 36 sampling sites. The concentrations were strongly linked to urbanization and population density, confirming that human activities in river basins are a major driver of freshwater microplastic pollution. The findings demonstrate that significant plastic fragmentation occurs before debris reaches the ocean, making rivers an important area for pollution monitoring.
High-Resolution Mapping of Japanese Microplastic and Macroplastic Emissions from the Land into the Sea
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Researchers developed a high-resolution method to map microplastic and macroplastic emissions from Japanese river catchments into the sea, using correlations between observed river concentrations and basin characteristics such as urban area ratio and population density to generate nationwide plastic emission estimates.
Characteristics of Microplastics and Macro-sized Coastal Debris on the Beaches of the Eastern Takamatsu City, Japan
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A beach survey in eastern Takamatsu, Japan found that the beach near a large urban river mouth had higher concentrations of both microplastics and macro-litter than a more remote beach, with polyethylene dominating at one site and polystyrene at the other. Most litter items were less than six months old, suggesting rapid accumulation from nearby sources rather than long-range ocean transport.
Microplastics in the sediments of small-scale Japanese rivers: Abundance and distribution, characterization, sources-to-sink, and ecological risks
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Researchers characterized microplastic pollution in sediments of four small-scale Japanese rivers, finding widespread contamination and identifying polymer types and potential sources, highlighting that even small river systems serve as microplastic transport pathways.
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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.