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Influence of 2015 flood on the distribution and occurrence of microplastic pellets along the Chennai coast, India
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Researchers compared microplastic pellet abundance on the Chennai coast before and after a major 2015 flood and found a threefold increase in pellet density post-flood, attributing the surge to urban river runoff carrying fresh plastic debris — demonstrating that extreme rainfall events are significant episodic drivers of coastal microplastic pollution.
The sources, distribution, surface features, polymer composition and age of microplastic pellets (MPPs) in surface sediments along the Chennai coast during March 2015 (pre-Chennai flood) and November 2015 (post-Chennai flood) were characterised using a Stereoscopic microscope and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. White MPPs were the most abundant, and specifically polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were the dominant polymer types of MPPs found on the coast during both the times. The abundance of MPPs in November 2015 was three-fold higher than those found in March 2015, confirming that huge quantity of fresh MPPs washed through Cooum and Adyar rivers from land during the flood. The winds and surface currents during November were the driving forces for the transportation and deposition of MPPs from the sea to beaches. The results of this study will be useful to formulate beach MPPs litter management policies to effectively create long-term solutions.
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Researchers compared microplastic abundance in river, estuarine, and coastal water and sediment before and after a 2023 flood event in Southeast India. Flood events tripled microplastic abundance in surface water (from 28 to 95 items/L) and increased sediment concentrations 1.5-fold, demonstrating that flooding is a major driver of microplastic redistribution.
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Researchers review global evidence showing that flooding events rapidly mobilize accumulated microplastics from soils, sediments, and urban surfaces, delivering concentrated pulses to shallow coastal ecosystems and incrementally raising background contamination levels — concluding that extreme hydrological events must be factored into coastal microplastic monitoring and ecological risk frameworks.
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Sampling before and after major flood events in Mersin Bay, Turkey showed that microplastic concentrations in coastal waters increased significantly following floods, likely due to transport of plastic waste from land. The results provide direct evidence that extreme rainfall events can rapidly escalate microplastic pollution in coastal marine environments.
Microplastic pollution of Calicut beach - Contributing factors and possible impacts
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Researchers conducted annual monitoring of microplastics in Calicut beach sediments from 2016 to 2019, finding concentrations ranging from 80.56 to 467.13 items per kilogram with polyethylene consistently dominant. A notable surge in microplastic levels was observed following severe Kerala floods in 2018 and 2019, linking flood events to increased coastal plastic deposition.
The impact of extreme weather events on microplastics in intertidal sediments within a coastal embayment.
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Researchers sampled microplastics in intertidal sediments of a coastal embayment before and after an extreme weather event to capture temporal variability. Microplastic concentrations increased substantially following the event, suggesting storms mobilize plastic from terrestrial and coastal sources and can cause short-term spikes in marine microplastic loads.
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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.