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Environmental Sources
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Urbanization and hydrological conditions drive the spatial and temporal variability of microplastic pollution in the Garonne River
The Science of The Total Environment2021
152 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 50
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Flavien Garcia,
Flavien Garcia,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Julien Cucherousset,
Flavien Garcia,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Aline Reis de Carvalho,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Louna Riem-Galliano,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Julien Cucherousset,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Loïc Tudesque,
Loïc Tudesque,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Julien Cucherousset,
Loïc Tudesque,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Julien Cucherousset,
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Magali Albignac
Julien Cucherousset,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Julien Cucherousset,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Julien Cucherousset,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Julien Cucherousset,
Julien Cucherousset,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Alexandra ter Halle,
Magali Albignac
Summary
Researchers quantified microplastic concentrations across 14 sites in the Garonne River catchment in France, finding that urbanization drives spatial variation while seasonal hydrology shapes temporal patterns—with higher concentrations and smaller particles in warm, low-flow periods—and polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene dominating polymer composition.
Microplastic (MP) pollution represents a novel environmental pressure acting on freshwater ecosystems. Improving our understanding of the dynamics of MP pollution in freshwater ecosystems is therefore a prerequisite for managing and limiting this pollution. In this study, we quantified the spatial and temporal variability of MP (size range 700 μm - 5 mm) pollution in surface water in 14 sites located across the Garonne river catchment (Southwestern France, 6 in the main river and 8 tributaries). MP concentration averaged 0.15 particles.m (± 0.46 SD) and strongly varied both in space and in time. We found that the spatial variation in MP concentration was driven by urbanization and that the temporal variation in MP concentration and MP size was driven by hydrological conditions, with higher concentrations and smaller particles sizes in warm seasons with low discharge. Polyethylene (44.5%), polystyrene (30.1%) and polypropylene (18.2%) were the main polymers and their proportion did not vary significantly across sampled sites. Particle color was associated with polymer type, with a high proportion of white particles in polystyrene. We also found a significant and negative relationship between MP size and the distance to the source in sites located in the main stream. MP pollution across watershed, from headwater tributaries to lowland rivers, is dynamic, and further studies are needed to improve the resolution of our knowledge of spatial and temporal patterns of MP pollution in freshwater ecosystems.