0
Article Tier 2 Environmental Sources Marine & Wildlife Sign in to save

Historical microplastic records in marine sediments: Current progress and methodological evaluation

Regional Studies in Marine Science 2021 35 citations

No summary available — this paper's abstract is not included in the open metadata provided by the publisher. Learn why →

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Research Progress on Sources and EcologicalEffects of Microplastics in Sediments

AI summary Read the abstract

This review synthesizes research on the sources and ecological effects of microplastics in sediments, tracing transport pathways from terrestrial runoff through freshwater systems to marine sediment sinks and documenting impacts on benthic organisms and ecosystem function. Sediments serve as long-term reservoirs of microplastic pollution, making sediment ecology a critical lens for understanding cumulative environmental burden and food chain exposure risks posed by plastic debris.

Article Tier 2

Sedimentary records of microplastic pollution from coastal Louisiana and their environmental implications

AI summary Read the abstract

Sediment cores from two coastal Louisiana estuaries revealed microplastic fibers, fragments, and sheets accumulating in the sedimentary record, with concentrations highest near the surface and declining with depth. The presence of trace microplastics even in pre-1950 sediment layers — likely from bioturbation — highlights how these pollutants become embedded in coastal ecosystems, creating long-term exposure risks for benthic organisms.

Article Tier 2

Microplastics: What Can We Learn from Clastic Sediments?

AI summary Read the abstract

An interdisciplinary review compared microplastics to natural clastic sediments, drawing on decades of sedimentology research to better understand microplastic transport, deposition, and environmental fate. Applying established sediment science frameworks to microplastics research could accelerate understanding of how these particles move through ecosystems and ultimately reach human food and water supplies.

Article Tier 2

A Review of Microplastics in Aquatic Sediments: Occurrence, Fate, Transport, and Ecological Impact

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers reviewed how microplastics accumulate in aquatic sediments — particularly the ocean floor — finding that sediments act as a long-term sink where plastics alter microbial communities and harm bottom-dwelling organisms, meaning the ecological damage of plastic pollution extends far beyond what is visible at the water surface.

Article Tier 2

A Scientific Approach to the Occurrence, Isolation, and Characterization of Existing Microplastic Pollution in the Marine Environment—a Review

AI summary Read the abstract

This review systematically covers the sources, types, sampling techniques, and characterization methods for marine microplastics, detailing how FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and thermal analysis are used to identify and quantify these particles. Understanding these standardized methodologies is foundational for assessing how microplastics accumulate in marine food chains and ultimately reach human consumers.

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.

Email me about

Share this paper