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Assessing the Occurrence of Microplastics in the Snake River
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Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in the Snake River watershed, finding plastic particles throughout the river system including in remote areas far from major urban centers. The study contributes to understanding how microplastics spread through freshwater systems that ultimately drain to the ocean.
Over the past 40 years, world production of plastic resins increased 25-fold creating a global waste stream comprised of 60-80% plastics. Microplastics, plastic particles less than 5mm in size, are receiving increased attention as a potentially detrimental environmental contaminant. Primary sources of microplastic pollution include plastic pellets and powders produced by manufacturers for industrial sale that enter the waterway via spills, improper dumping or facility accidents and microbeads used as abrasives or exfoliant in commercial products. Secondary sources of microplastic pollution are fibers and fragments from the deterioration of larger plastics. Synthetic fibers enter our waterway as micro-sized fibers shed from laundry in our household sewage effluent that urban wastewater treatment centers are unable to capture. Microplastics have been found throughout our oceans, but little has been done to quantify them in our freshwater systems. This study examines the Snake River for the presence of microplastics. By looking at an entire river system, we hope to identify hot spots and sources of microplastic pollution, such as wastewater treatment facilities or recreational areas. Grab samples (average volume of 1.8 liters) and volume reduced samples with a 100-micron mesh plankton net (average volume of 3,328 L) were collected throughout the summer of 2016 approximately every 50 river miles along the Snake River out to the Pacific Ocean. In this presentation, the results from the grab samples collected at all 28 sites will be revealed. Of the 23 grab samples visually inspected to date, 16 contained putative microplastics.
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Microplastic hotspots in the Snake and Lower Columbia rivers: A journey from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to the Pacific Ocean
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Microplastics were found throughout the 1,735 km Snake River and into the lower Columbia River, with higher concentrations near urban centers and agricultural areas. The study identifies specific hotspot locations in the western US river system and provides baseline data for understanding microplastic transport from inland agricultural regions to the Pacific Ocean.
Presence of Microplastics in Fresh Water Systems: The Snake River and Palisades Reservoir, The
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Microplastic particles were found in surface water and sediment samples from the Snake River and Palisades Reservoir in Idaho, expanding documentation of microplastic contamination to freshwater systems in the inland western United States. The study highlights that microplastic pollution is not limited to coastal and heavily urbanized areas but extends to relatively pristine river systems.
Microplastic pollution in two remote rivers of Türkiye
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Researchers documented microplastic pollution in two remote rivers of Turkey, finding that even waterways far from major urban centers contain significant microplastic contamination, highlighting the widespread reach of plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems.
Microplastic Prevalence in 4 Oregon Rivers Along a Rural to Urban Gradient Applying a Cost-Effective Validation Technique
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Microplastics were found in all samples from four Oregon rivers spanning rural to urban settings, and microfiber abundance was correlated with human population within 5 km of sampling sites. The study demonstrates that even remote rural rivers carry measurable plastic pollution, underscoring the pervasive reach of microplastic contamination in freshwater systems.
Assessment of microplastic contamination in the Karnali River: A baseline study in remote region of western Nepal
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Researchers surveyed 16 sites along the Karnali River in remote western Nepal and found microplastics at every location, with fiber-shaped particles making up 94% of what they detected — suggesting that even rivers far from cities are not protected from plastic pollution. The findings call for urgent long-term monitoring across Nepal's freshwater systems, most of which have never been studied for microplastic contamination.
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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.