Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The effect of dams on river transport of microplastic pollution

This study investigated whether dams trap microplastics in river sediments, finding significant accumulation of microplastics upstream of dams compared to downstream, suggesting dams act as microplastic sinks. The findings have implications for managing microplastic transport through river systems and for understanding contamination risks associated with dam removal.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 225 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

The role of dams as sources and sinks of plastics in global rivers

This meta-analysis pools data from global studies to assess how dams trap and release plastic pollution in rivers. The findings reveal that while dams can act as sinks that accumulate plastic debris, they also release microplastics downstream during water discharge, affecting the quality of water that communities downstream rely on for drinking and agriculture.

2025
Article Tier 2

The Three Gorges Dam alters the spatial distribution and flux of microplastics in the Yangtze River

Researchers mapped how the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River alters the distribution and flow of microplastic pollution. They found that the reservoir acts as a significant trap for microplastics, accumulating them in sediment and the fluctuation zone along its banks, while reducing the downstream flux. The study suggests that large dams fundamentally change how microplastic pollution moves through major river systems.

2025 Environmental Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence characteristics and transport processes of riverine microplastics in different connectivity contexts

This study is the first to track how dams affect the movement and accumulation of microplastics in rivers. Dams create hotspots where microplastics build up in both water and sediment, and even in rivers without dams, slow-moving areas can accumulate over 10 times more microplastics than other stretches. These findings matter because many communities draw their drinking water from rivers and reservoirs where microplastics may be concentrating.

2025 npj Clean Water 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Damming has changed the migration process of microplastics and increased the pollution risk in the reservoirs in the Shaying River Basin

Researchers investigated how dam construction in the Shaying River Basin affects microplastic pollution in water, sediment, and biological tissues near ten dams. The study found that dams alter the transport and deposition of microplastics, intercepting large amounts in reservoirs and changing how microplastics accumulate in freshwater organisms through shifts in food web structure.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 59 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

From water to sediment: A meta-analysis of microplastic distribution and the impact of dams in reservoir ecosystems

This meta-analysis of 36 reservoirs worldwide found that microplastics tend to accumulate near dams due to a trapping effect, with concentrations declining upstream. Vertical stratification patterns and significant impacts on benthic organism growth and reproduction were observed, highlighting reservoirs as underrecognized microplastic accumulation hotspots in freshwater systems.

2025 Eco-Environment & Health 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of water management and its effect on microplastic transport and fate

This study examined how water management decisions, such as dam operations and irrigation withdrawals, influence microplastic concentrations and transport in river systems. Flow regulation was found to alter how microplastics accumulate and flush through river networks.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

[Microplastic Characteristics and Risk Assessment in Multigate Dam-type River].

Researchers assessed microplastic abundance, composition, and ecological risk in surface water and sediments across ten dams on the Shaying River, China, finding that dam construction complicates microplastic distribution patterns and increases retention of particles in reservoir environments.

2024 PubMed
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastics pollution in dams globally: Consequences and future outlook

This review examines microplastic contamination in dams worldwide, covering particle origins, dominant shapes and polymer types, and the ecological and water quality consequences. It identifies dams as significant MPs sinks and highlights major knowledge gaps given the limited research on this environment.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of cascade damming on microplastics transport in rivers: A large-scale investigation in Wujiang River, Southwest China

Researchers investigated how cascade damming on the Wujiang River in China affects microplastic transport, finding that dams intercept microplastics and reduce their downstream flux, with midstream areas showing the highest concentrations.

2022 Chemosphere 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of cascade dams on the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in surface sediments of Wujiang river basin, Southwestern China

Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution in sediments of the Wujiang River basin in southwest China, finding that cascade dams trap and accumulate microplastics in reservoir sediments, with dam density and upstream land use significantly influencing local microplastic abundance and composition.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevailing impacts of river management on microplastic transport in contrasting US streams: Rethinking global microplastic flux estimations

Researchers compared microplastic transport in managed versus unmanaged US streams, finding that river management practices like channelization and damming significantly alter MP distribution patterns, suggesting global microplastic budgets need to account for river infrastructure.

2023 Water Research 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Coupled effects of urbanization level and dam on microplastics in surface waters in a coastal watershed of Southeast China

Researchers analyzed the distribution of microplastics across 17 sampling sites in the Minjiang River Watershed in southeast China, finding that microplastic concentrations were positively correlated with urbanization indicators and that dams influenced spatial distribution patterns.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 101 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of water management and its effect on microplastic transport and fate

Researchers examined how water management practices affect the transport and fate of microplastics in river networks, which serve as both conduits and sinks for plastic pollution. The study found that flow regulation and water management interventions significantly influence how far microplastics travel and where they accumulate.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Substantial burial of terrestrial microplastics in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Researchers found substantial burial of terrestrial microplastics in Three Gorges Reservoir sediments, suggesting that large hydropower dams act as significant traps that intercept microplastic transport from rivers to the ocean, with implications for the Yangtze River's plastic output.

2023 Communications Earth & Environment 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental fate of microplastics in alpine and canyon-type river-cascade reservoir systems: Large-scale investigation of the Yalong River in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Researchers conducted a large-scale investigation of microplastic distribution in the Yalong River on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, examining how cascade dam construction affects plastic pollution. They found that microplastic abundance in water and sediment within reservoir areas was significantly higher than in free-flowing river sections, with dams trapping high-density particles in sediments. The study suggests that cascade reservoir systems alter the migration patterns and accumulation of microplastics within alpine river watersheds.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Horizontal and vertical distribution of microplastics in dam reservoir after impoundment

Microplastic distribution was mapped both horizontally and vertically in a Chinese reservoir after impoundment, revealing that plastics were not uniformly distributed but concentrated in specific depth layers and spatial zones influenced by water flow and stratification. The study provides insight into how dam reservoirs trap and accumulate microplastics from river inputs.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the influence of fluvial dynamics on the distribution and transport of microplastics.

Researchers studied how fluvial dynamics, including water flow, turbulence, and river morphology, influence microplastic distribution and transport in a river system. The study found that hydrological conditions strongly control where microplastics deposit and how they move through the watershed.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Effects of environmental and anthropogenic factors on the distribution and abundance of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems

Researchers reviewed nearly 6,500 articles to identify the environmental and human factors driving microplastic distribution in freshwater ecosystems worldwide. They found that both natural factors like water flow and temperature, and human activities like urbanization and agriculture, significantly influence where microplastics accumulate in rivers and lakes. The study provides a framework for predicting microplastic pollution hotspots and prioritizing monitoring efforts in freshwater systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of floating microplastics behind the Three Gorges Dam

Researchers collected trawl samples from the Three Gorges Reservoir on the Yangtze River and found extraordinarily high microplastic concentrations — up to 13.6 billion particles per square kilometer — accumulating behind the dam. The dam appears to act as a massive trap for floating plastic, preventing downstream transport and concentrating pollution to extreme levels.

2015 Environmental Pollution 517 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of seasonal variation and resuspension on microplastics in river sediments

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in river sediments across multiple seasons and examined the role of resuspension events, finding that MP levels varied significantly by season and that high-flow events released previously deposited particles, redistributing contamination downstream.

2021 Environmental Pollution 214 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the influence of fluvial dynamics on the distribution and transport of microplastics.

Researchers studied how fluvial dynamics including flow velocity, turbulence, and river geomorphology influence the distribution and transport of microplastics in river systems. River hydrodynamics were found to be major determinants of where microplastics accumulate and how far they travel, with implications for predicting contamination patterns in river catchments.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of microplastic pollution in rivers globally: Driving factors of distribution and ecological risk assessment

Researchers constructed a global dataset of microplastic pollution across 862 river water and 445 sediment samples, identifying population density, GDP, and plastic waste generation as key driving factors of riverine microplastic distribution and ecological risk.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Riverine macroplastic gradient along watercourses: A global overview

Researchers conducted a global overview of macroplastic pollution gradients along river systems, from upper reaches to lower stretches. The study found that plastic concentrations generally increase downstream, driven by population density and urbanization, and highlighted that upper and middle river zones have been largely overlooked in previous research.

2022 Frontiers in Environmental Science 67 citations