Papers

Tracking the translocation of nanoplastics from soil to plant: Comparison of different analytical techniques

This study compared different lab techniques for tracking nanoplastics as they move from soil into wheat plants. Researchers found that wheat seedlings absorbed enormous quantities of nanoplastics through their roots in just five days, leading to a 77% drop in plant growth. The findings matter for food safety because they show nanoplastics in contaminated soil can be taken up by food crops.

Potential planetary health impacts of the airborne plastisphere

Researchers reviewed emerging evidence that airborne microplastics can carry and transport living microorganisms — including potential pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria — across long distances through the atmosphere, identifying this as an overlooked global health threat that bridges pollution and infectious disease.

Development and validation of a novel suspended particulate matter sampling device for analysis of particle-bound microbial communities

Researchers developed and tested a new device called the microParticle Obtaining Trap for collecting suspended particles from water, achieving recovery rates above 90% for particles 100 micrometers and larger. The device was successfully used to sample groundwater, lake water, and river water, capturing particles separated by size. It offers a simpler and more affordable alternative to existing sampling methods, making it easier to study particle-bound microbial communities in hard-to-reach water systems.

Microplastic characteristics differentially influence cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom microbial community membership, growth, and toxin production

Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics influence the growth and toxin production of harmful algal blooms in freshwater. They found that certain microplastic characteristics, such as shape and polymer type, significantly affected which microbial species thrived and how much toxin was produced. The study suggests that microplastic pollution may play an underappreciated role in worsening harmful algal blooms in lakes and reservoirs.

The human connection: First evidence of microplastics in remote high mountain lakes of Sierra Nevada, Spain

As part of a citizen science initiative, researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in 35 remote glacial lakes in Sierra Nevada National Park, Spain. The study found microplastics present even in these high-altitude, isolated environments, with significant variation in abundance between nearby lakes linked to human visitation patterns.

Microplastics and nanoplastics in the marine-atmosphere environment

Constraining the atmospheric limb of the plastic cycle

Researchers modeled the atmospheric transport of microplastics across the western United States and found that most airborne particles originate from the breakdown of legacy plastic waste that has accumulated in the environment. Roads were identified as the dominant source, followed by marine, agricultural, and dust emissions near population centers. The study suggests that atmospheric microplastic transport represents a significant and underappreciated component of the global plastic pollution cycle.

Network analysis reveals significant joint effects of microplastics and tetracycline on the gut than the gill microbiome of marine medaka

Researchers used network analysis to study the joint effects of polystyrene microplastics and the antibiotic tetracycline on the gut and gill microbiomes of marine medaka fish over 30 days. The study found that combined exposure had more profound effects on the gut than the gill microbiome, reducing the complexity and stability of gut microbial networks.

Long-distance atmospheric transport of microplastic fibres influenced by their shapes

Combining Submicron Spectroscopy Techniques (AFM-IR and O-PTIR) To Detect and Quantify Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Snow from a Utah Ski Resort

Researchers used two advanced submicron spectroscopy techniques, AFM-IR and O-PTIR, to detect and quantify microplastics and nanoplastics in snow samples collected from a Utah ski resort. The study identified plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer in the snow, demonstrating that even remote mountain environments contain nanoscale plastic contamination and showcasing new analytical methods for characterizing these tiny particles.

Bioanalytical approaches for the detection, characterization, and risk assessment of micro/nanoplastics in agriculture and food systems

This review examines bioanalytical methods for detecting micro- and nanoplastics throughout the agricultural and food supply chain, covering techniques from microscopy and spectroscopy to emerging approaches for characterizing plastic contamination and assessing associated risks.

Sources and fate of atmospheric microplastics revealed from inverse and dispersion modelling: From global emissions to deposition

Researchers combined atmospheric observations and inverse modeling to estimate global microplastic emissions at 9.6 megatons per year, then used dispersion modeling to trace sources and deposition patterns from emissions to atmospheric fallout worldwide.

Biochar Reduces Nanoplastics Uptake by Lettuce and Alleviates Its Toxicity to the Plant

Researchers tested whether biochar could reduce nanoplastic uptake by lettuce and found that iron-doped biochar was particularly effective, lowering nanoplastic concentrations in leaves by approximately 60%. Both regular and iron-doped biochar also helped alleviate nanoplastic-induced metabolic disturbances in the plants and partially restored soil enzyme activity.

Probing Cytotoxic and Oxidative Stress Effects of Nanoplastics on Human Intestinal Caco-2 Cells: Insights from Raman Spectroscopy and Machine Learning

Nanoplastic–lipid interactions at marine relevant interfaces: implications for atmospheric chemistry

This study examined what happens when nanoplastics become incorporated into sea spray aerosols — the tiny droplets that burst into the air when waves break — finding that nanoplastics alter the structure and composition of the lipid films that coat these airborne droplets. Since these lipid layers influence how aerosols behave chemically in the atmosphere, nanoplastics could be subtly changing atmospheric chemistry and cloud formation in ocean regions. This is a relatively unexplored pathway by which plastic pollution may have broader environmental consequences beyond the ocean surface.

Convergence Research for Microplastic Pollution at the Watershed Scale

This paper describes a convergence research initiative that brought together scientists, policymakers, educators, and community members to collectively study microplastic pollution across the Columbia River Basin in the United States. The collaboration produced teacher training materials, a basin-wide microplastic sampling plan using moss and freshwater samples, and stakeholder surveys revealing differing levels of concern across sectors. The project demonstrates that meaningful progress on microplastic pollution requires building trust, co-designing research with communities, and translating findings directly into policy discussions and classrooms.

Growth of grasses and forbs, nutrient concentration, and microbial activity in soil treated with microbeads

Researchers found that polyethylene and polystyrene microbeads in soil reduced plant biomass, altered microbial enzyme activity, and decreased nitrogen content, suggesting microplastics disrupt soil ecosystem functions across multiple nutrient cycling pathways.

Towards Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for the Australasian Region of Oceania

This review identifies priority environmental quality research questions for the Australasian and Oceania region, highlighting threats to unique ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef from multiple stressors including microplastics, climate change, and chemical contamination.

Machine learning reveals microbial interactions driving plastic degradation across plastisphere environments

Using 16S rRNA sequencing and machine learning, this study characterized the microbial communities that colonize microplastics in ocean, river, and wastewater environments, revealing that wastewater plastispheres host the most diverse communities and carry the greatest density of potential plastic-degrading bacteria. Understanding which microbes interact to drive degradation could guide efforts to harness or engineer these communities to accelerate plastic breakdown.

Microplastic data from surface waters and in stream-rearing steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a rural coastal California stream

This is a duplicate dataset entry for the Scott Creek, California steelhead trout microplastics study (same as ID 1861), providing particle count, type, color, and size data from stream water and fish gut contents in a rural coastal watershed. Duplicate entry; the dataset offers baseline contamination data for a salmon-bearing stream in a relatively undisturbed California watershed.

Microplastic data from surface waters and in stream-rearing steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a rural coastal California stream

This dataset entry describes microplastic measurements from the water and the gut contents of juvenile steelhead trout in Scott Creek, a rural California coastal stream, providing baseline contamination data for a salmon-bearing watershed with minimal urban influence. Even in relatively pristine, low-traffic streams, microplastics are present and entering fish, suggesting contamination is pervasive in California waterways regardless of urbanization level. The data supports evaluation of ecological risks to native fish species that are already under pressure from other stressors.

Turbulence‐Driven Clogging of Hyporheic Zones by Fine Particle Filtration

This study is not directly about microplastics; it investigates how river turbulence drives fine particle exchange between surface water and the streambed (hyporheic zones), finding that turbulence significantly accelerates particle delivery and can clog the riverbed over time. This process is relevant to understanding how microplastics might be buried and retained in river sediments.

Stream Microbial Community Structured by Trace Elements, Headwater Dispersal, and Large Reservoirs in Sub-Alpine and Urban Ecosystems

Researchers measured bacterioplankton community composition across rivers from sub-alpine to urban environments in three Utah watersheds over three seasons to quantify the relative roles of environmental conditions, passive dispersal, and human infrastructure (dams) in shaping stream microbial communities. They found that trace element chemistry and headwater dispersal were primary structuring forces, while large reservoirs imposed distinct downstream community signatures.

Tracking the Translocation of Nanoplastic from Soil to Plant: Comparison of Different Analytical Techniques