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Macroplastic Storage and Remobilization in Rivers
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This paper presents a conceptual model of how large plastic debris moves through river systems — entering, traveling, being stored in riverbanks, and being remobilized — to help estimate how much plastic ultimately reaches the ocean. Understanding these dynamics is key to improving global plastic pollution budgets.
The paper presents a conceptual model of the route of macroplastic debris (5 > mm) through a fluvial system, which can support future works on the overlooked processes of macroplastic storage and remobilization in rivers. We divided the macroplastic route into (1) input, (2) transport, (3) storage, (4) remobilization and (5) output phases. Phase 1 is mainly controlled by humans, phases 2–4 by fluvial processes, and phase 5 by both types of controls. We hypothesize that natural characteristics of fluvial systems and their modification by dam reservoirs and flood embankments construction are key controls on macroplastic storage and remobilization in rivers. The zone of macroplastic storage can be defined as a river floodplain inundated since the beginning of widespread disposal of plastic waste to the environment in the 1960s and remobilization zone as a part of the storage zone influenced by floodwaters and bank erosion. The amount of macroplastic in both zones can be estimated using data on the abundance of surface- and subsurface-stored macroplastic and the lateral and vertical extent of the zones. Our model creates the framework for estimation of how much plastic has accumulated in rivers and will be present in future riverscapes.
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This study provides the first systematic budget of how plastic moves through rivers and where it gets stored, finding that riverbanks and floodplains trap far more plastic than the surface water layer that is typically monitored. Rivers act not just as pipelines delivering plastic to the ocean but as large reservoirs that accumulate and slowly release plastic over time. Understanding this full storage picture is essential for estimating how much microplastic will eventually reach the ocean and for designing effective river cleanup strategies.
Macroplastic Storage and Remobilization in Rivers
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Researchers developed a conceptual model of macroplastic debris transport through fluvial systems, dividing the pathway into input, transport, storage, remobilization, and output phases and hypothesizing that natural channel dynamics control whether river systems act as net sources or sinks of plastic pollution.
River plastic transport and storage budget.
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This global synthesis estimated the plastic transport and storage budget for rivers by measuring plastic in the water surface, water column, riverbanks, and floodplains — finding that far more plastic is stored within rivers than is transported to the ocean. The study challenges the assumption that rivers are primarily conduits and highlights them as major long-term plastic reservoirs.
Macroplastic Storage and Remobilization in Rivers
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This paper presents a conceptual model of macroplastic debris movement through fluvial systems, dividing the pathway into input, transport, storage, remobilization, and output phases controlled by human activity and fluvial processes. The model frames how natural river characteristics and modifications—such as dams and flood embankments—control plastic accumulation and future river plastic budgets.
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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.