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A Comprehensive Review of the Status and Removal of Emerging Contaminants in Urban Water Bodies Mediated by Stormwater Over the Past 30 Years
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A bibliometric analysis of 1,344 publications from 1994–2024 found a marked post-2020 shift in urban water contamination research toward microplastics and PFAS as priority contaminants transported via stormwater, with persistent gaps in real-time monitoring and cross-media flux quantification. As climate change intensifies rainfall events, stormwater becomes an increasingly important vector delivering microplastics into urban water systems and ultimately drinking water supplies.
Urban water bodies—encompassing rivers, lakes, surface waters, and groundwater—play critical roles in maintaining urban hydrological balance. However, stormwater runoff increasingly transports emerging contaminants (ECs), including heavy metals (HMs), microplastics (MPs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which pose significant threats to water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Although EC removal in urban waters is widely studied, the mediating role of stormwater remains poorly quantified. We conducted the first bibliometric analysis (1994–2024) of EC fate in stormwater-mediated urban waters, analyzing 1344 publications from Web of Science. Our analysis identified three key trends: (1) sustained global research focus on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals, led by major contributing nations; (2) a marked post-2020 shift toward microplastics and PFAS as priority contaminants;(iii) Persistent gaps in real-time monitoring, cross-media contaminant flux quantification, and synergistic removal mechanisms. Extreme rainfall (intensified by climate change) and contaminant interactions synergistically elevate ecological risks. Future research must prioritize real-time sensors, ecological risk assessment frameworks, and policy-driven green infrastructure deployment to enhance urban water resilience.
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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.