Papers

Soil pollution in the European Union – An outlook

This review assesses the state of soil pollution across the European Union, finding that contamination from heavy metals, pesticides, and emerging pollutants like microplastics is widespread but poorly monitored. The authors call for standardized measurement methods and updated regulations, noting that soil pollution can affect human health through contaminated crops and drinking water.

Future Projections of Global Plastic Pollution: Scenario Analyses and Policy Implications

This study used data from 128 countries to project future plastic pollution levels based on population growth, wealth, and technology. The researchers found that plastic pollution follows a curve where it rises with economic growth but could decline once countries reach a certain development level. The projections suggest that without policy changes, global plastic pollution and the resulting microplastic contamination will continue to increase significantly.

A Synthesis of Global Coastal Ocean Greenhouse Gas Fluxes

This large-scale study measured greenhouse gas exchanges between the coastal ocean and atmosphere, finding that while coastal waters absorb carbon dioxide, they also release nitrous oxide and methane that offset much of that climate benefit. While focused on greenhouse gases rather than microplastics, the study is relevant because climate change and ocean chemistry changes affect how microplastics behave in marine environments. Warming oceans and changing chemistry could influence how microplastics break down and move through the food chain.

Regulatory assessment of nano-enabled health products in public health interest. Position of the scientific advisory board of the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products

The French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines reviewed the regulatory landscape for health products containing nanomaterials, including drugs and medical devices. They found that the enormous diversity of nanomaterials and their unique properties create significant challenges for consistent regulatory assessment across countries. The report recommends international harmonization of regulatory practices to better evaluate the risk-benefit balance of nano-enabled health products.

Scientific evidence of the hydrological impacts of nature‐based solutions at the catchment scale

This review assessed the scientific evidence for how nature-based solutions like wetlands, ponds, and green infrastructure affect water flow at the scale of entire watersheds. Researchers found that the effectiveness of each approach depends heavily on local conditions such as location, design, and environmental factors. The study emphasizes the need for better planning tools and more research before large-scale implementation of these interventions for water management.

Spatial variability of Saharan dust deposition revealed through a citizen science campaign

Researchers used a citizen science campaign to collect dust-on-snow samples across the Pyrenees and Alps following a major Saharan dust event in February 2021. They found that the amount and particle size of deposited dust decreased with distance from the source, and south-facing slopes accumulated more dust. The study demonstrates how citizen science can fill gaps in understanding atmospheric dust transport, which also carries microplastics and other pollutants across long distances.

Placental-fetal distribution of carbon particles in a pregnant rabbit model after repeated exposure to diluted diesel engine exhaust

Researchers confirmed that carbon particles from diesel exhaust inhaled by pregnant rabbits travel from the lungs through the placenta and into fetal organs. This demonstrates that airborne particles — including nanoplastics and combustion soot — can cross the placental barrier during pregnancy, potentially altering fetal development.

Integrated Chemical and Hazard Assessment of Plastic Pellets from the <i>Toconao</i> Spill (Galicia, Spain) Indicates Potential for Environmental Harm

Researchers analyzed plastic pellets from a major 2023 shipping spill off the coast of Portugal, identifying over 50 chemical substances and testing their toxicity on algae, copepods, zebrafish, and human cells. The study found significant harm to algae and copepods, including growth inhibition and immobilization, while zebrafish embryos and human cells showed minimal or modest effects, underscoring the complex chemical risks that pellet spills pose to marine ecosystems.

Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on the Kidneys

This review of existing research finds that tiny plastic particles from everyday items can reach your kidneys through your bloodstream and cause damage. The plastic pieces trigger inflammation and create harmful chemical reactions that can harm kidney function and may worsen chronic kidney disease. This matters because we're all exposed to these microscopic plastics daily through food, water, and air, but we're still learning how much damage they might cause to our health.

How much innovation is needed to protect the ocean from plastic contamination?

Researchers used a system dynamics model to simulate ocean plastic cleanup scenarios, finding that reducing ocean plastic debris 25% below 2010 levels by 2030 would require removing 135 million tons at a cost of up to €708 billion — far exceeding any single cleanup project — and that technological solutions alone cannot solve the problem without complementary policy interventions.

Informing the Plastic Treaty negotiations on science - experiences from the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastic Treaty

Researchers from the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastic Treaty describe how the scientific community self-organized to provide evidence-based input into United Nations negotiations for a global plastics treaty. The paper documents five communication strategies used to translate complex science into actionable guidance for policymakers, offering a model for future science-policy engagement.

Open science resources from the Tara Pacific expedition across coral reef and surface ocean ecosystems

Researchers from the Tara Pacific expedition collected nearly 58,000 samples from coral reefs and ocean surface waters across 32 Pacific islands between 2016 and 2018, creating a massive open-access dataset for studying ocean ecosystems. This publicly available resource allows scientists worldwide to investigate a wide range of questions about coral reef health, ocean biodiversity, and environmental change.

Addressing Microplastic Pollution via the Global Plastic Treaty

This paper discusses the role of the global plastic treaty in addressing microplastic pollution, evaluating policy mechanisms, international governance challenges, and the scientific evidence needed to support binding reduction targets.

Potential impacts of pandemics on global warming, agricultural production, and biodiversity loss

This paper examines the interconnected impacts of pandemics on global environmental challenges including climate change, agricultural production, and biodiversity loss, drawing on research from French and international institutions. It highlights how major disease outbreaks can disrupt both human systems and the natural environment in complex and sometimes unexpected ways.

Microstructure Characterization of Oceanic Polyethylene Debris

Researchers characterized the microstructure of weathered oceanic polyethylene debris using cross-sectional mapping techniques, revealing deep structural modifications within the outer few hundred micrometers of the debris compared to nonweathered material, with implications for nanoplastic formation mechanisms.

Future Directions for Aerosol–Cloud–Precipitation Interaction Research in the Arctic from the QuIESCENT 2024 Workshop

This review summarizes outcomes from the 2024 QuIESCENT workshop, which brought together researchers to define future directions in Arctic aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction research, sharing key discussions and priorities with the broader scientific community.

Decision: Reducing plastic production: Economic loss or environmental gain? — R2/PR12

Researchers reviewed global economic and environmental studies on plastic pollution, estimating that the net cost of inaction on plastic pollution by 2040 ranges from US $-243.8 to $24.3 trillion compared to action costs, suggesting that while high-estimate scenarios favor action, low-estimate scenarios indicate inaction could generate societal net costs twice those of acting.

International pellet watch: Global monitoring of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in plastic resin pellets

Scientists analyzed plastic resin pellets from 65 beaches in 27 countries and found flame retardant chemicals (PBDEs) in 75% of samples, at concentrations up to 46 nanograms per gram of plastic. This global survey demonstrates that plastic pellets act as worldwide carriers of toxic flame retardants in the marine environment.

Expanding Tara Oceans Protocols for Underway, Ecosystemic Sampling of the Ocean-Atmosphere Interface During Tara Pacific Expedition (2016–2018)

This paper describes expanded sampling protocols used during the Tara Pacific expedition to collect comprehensive data on ocean surface plankton, atmospheric particles, and air-sea interactions. Such oceanographic expeditions have documented microplastic contamination across the Pacific, contributing to global pollution baseline data.

Air Pollution and Sea Pollution Seen from Space

Researchers reviewed how satellite-based sensors have transformed our understanding of air and ocean pollution, enabling global monitoring of phenomena from smog to marine plastic debris. The paper highlights how improved mapping of small-scale ocean eddies is providing new insights into how pollutants spread and concentrate across the world's seas.

Open science resources from the Tara Pacific expedition across coral reef and surface ocean ecosystems

Researchers describe the open science data resources generated by the Tara Pacific expedition (2016-2018), which sampled coral reef ecosystems around 32 Pacific islands and 249 ocean surface locations, collecting nearly 58,000 samples for biogeochemical, molecular, and imaging analysis. The paper provides a comprehensive description of sampling methodology and explains how to access the diverse environmental and biological datasets released for open scientific use.

Comment on egusphere-2024-2839

Researchers developed an improved backtrajectory analysis protocol using the FLEXPART particle dispersion model validated against WRF-Chem tracer simulations, demonstrating that commonly used backtrajectory methods are unreliable for identifying atmospheric emission sources in polar regions and showing that the updated protocol correctly identifies known sources including methane sulfonic acid and black carbon.

The search for organic compounds with TMAH thermochemolysis: From Earth analyses to space exploration experiments

Microplastics in sediment deposited along the Seine River after a major flood event (February 2021)

Researchers measured microplastics in sediments deposited along the Seine River during and after a major flood event in February 2021. Flood conditions resuspended sediment and transported microplastics from contaminated riverbanks downstream, redistributing them to new locations. The findings confirm that flood events are significant drivers of microplastic transport and can complicate pollution management efforts.