Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Riverine Microplastic Quantification: A Novel Approach Integrating Satellite Images, Neural Network, and Suspended Sediment Data as a Proxy

Researchers developed satellite-based models using neural network algorithms to estimate riverine microplastic concentrations, using suspended sediment concentration as a proxy, offering a cost-effective approach for broad-scale freshwater microplastic monitoring.

2023 Sensors 23 citations
Article Tier 2

An inversion model of microplastics abundance based on satellite remote sensing: a case study in the Bohai Sea

Researchers developed a satellite-based model to estimate microplastic concentrations in China's Bohai Sea using remote sensing data. The model combined water color measurements from satellites with field sampling to predict microplastic distribution across a large area. The study suggests that remote sensing could become a practical tool for monitoring ocean microplastic pollution over wide regions without relying solely on labor-intensive field sampling.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 20 citations
Article Tier 2

In situ correlation between microplastic and suspended particulate matter concentrations in river-estuary systems support proxies for satellite-derived estimates of microplastic flux

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations alongside suspended particulate matter (SPM) in a UK estuary (Tamar), finding a significant correlation between the two parameters. This relationship supports using satellite-based SPM measurements as a proxy for estimating microplastic flux from rivers to the ocean.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Water Constituents Be Used as Proxy to Map Microplastic Dispersal Within Transitional and Coastal Waters?

Researchers tested whether measurable water quality parameters such as turbidity and chlorophyll could serve as indirect proxies for predicting microplastic distribution in coastal and transitional waters using remote sensing data. Results showed limited predictive power, suggesting that microplastic monitoring cannot reliably be inferred from water clarity measures alone.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancing floating macroplastic detection from space using hyperspectral imagery

Researchers evaluated the use of hyperspectral satellite and airborne imagery to detect floating plastic debris in rivers and oceans, addressing major challenges related to plastic spectral properties in field conditions. Remote sensing tools for plastic detection are important for large-scale monitoring of the macro-scale plastic that eventually becomes microplastics.

2021 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing discharge estimation from SWOT satellite data in a tropical tidal river environment

Researchers developed a methodology to improve river discharge estimates from the SWOT satellite mission in tidally influenced river environments in southern Vietnam. They found that measurement errors from the satellite could be reduced by optimizing the size of river segments analyzed. While not directly related to microplastics, the study advances remote sensing tools that can help monitor coastal water dynamics relevant to understanding pollutant transport in estuarine systems.

2024 PLOS Water 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of floating riverine macro-debris transport using an image processing approach

A new image-based algorithm was developed to measure how much floating debris is moving across a river surface, using color detection and template matching. This tool could help track macro-debris transport in rivers, which is the primary pathway for plastic litter reaching the ocean.

2020 Scientific Reports 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into suspended sediment and microplastic budget of a lowland river: integrating in-situ measurements, Sentinel-2 imagery, and machine learning

Researchers combined river measurements, satellite imagery, and machine learning to track how much microplastic the Tisza River in Hungary carries downstream each day. They found that flood events spike microplastic transport five-fold, meaning a small number of high-water days drive the majority of plastic particles reaching the sea.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced spatiotemporal mapping of urban wetland microplastics: An interpretable CNN-GRU approach using satellite imagery and limited samples

Researchers built an interpretable CNN-GRU deep learning model combining satellite remote sensing with limited in-situ measurements to map microplastic distribution in urban wetlands with enhanced spatiotemporal resolution, enabling more comprehensive monitoring with less field sampling.

2025 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Article Tier 2

Monitoring of Plastic Islands in River Environment Using Sentinel-1 SAR Data

Researchers developed a method using Sentinel-1 SAR satellite data to detect and monitor plastic islands in river environments, demonstrating the potential of radar remote sensing to track plastic debris accumulation following major rain events.

2022 Remote Sensing 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Satellite sensors as an emerging technique for monitoring macro- and microplastics in aquatic ecosystems

This review assessed the emerging use of satellite remote sensing technologies for monitoring macro- and microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, evaluating current capabilities and limitations of different satellite sensors for detecting waterborne plastic debris.

2022 Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating Microplastic Pollution Along the Dubai Coast: An Empirical Model Combining On-Site Sampling and Sentinel-2 Remote Sensing Data

Researchers collected coastal water samples from Dubai and combined laboratory spectral measurements with Sentinel-2 satellite imagery to build a model that estimates microplastic concentrations from space. The model achieved an R² of 87% and was used to map microplastic pollution trends along the Dubai coast from 2018 to 2021. This remote-sensing approach demonstrates a scalable method for monitoring coastal microplastic pollution over large areas without intensive fieldwork.

2024 Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy Water and Environment Systems 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancing Floating Macroplastic Detection from Space Using Experimental Hyperspectral Imagery

Researchers tested experimental hyperspectral airborne imagery to detect floating macroplastics in rivers and the ocean, demonstrating that combining spectral and spatial features improves detection accuracy over single-band approaches.

2021 Remote Sensing 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Examining the Feasibility of Passive Satellite Remote Sensing of Ocean Microplastics With New High-Resolution Multiple Scattering Simulations

Researchers examined the feasibility of detecting ocean microplastics using passive satellite remote sensing by combining in situ data analysis with Mie scattering calculations and advanced multiple scattering simulations, evaluating whether spectral signatures of microplastic particles are detectable against the ocean surface optical background.

2025
Article Tier 2

Variance and precision of microplastic sampling in urban rivers

Researchers assessed the variance and precision of microplastic sampling methods in urban rivers, finding that high spatial and temporal variability in microplastic concentrations requires carefully designed sampling strategies to obtain representative measurements and reliable data for river microplastic assessments.

2022 Environmental Pollution 21 citations
Article Tier 2

First evidence of microplastics in a freshwater river and their relationship to water quality

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in a freshwater river used for recreational purposes and found a significant relationship between microplastic abundance and water physicochemical quality parameters, along with the presence of three organic compounds, providing evidence that microplastic pollution and water quality are closely linked.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

Data from: In situ correlation between microplastic and suspended particulate matter concentrations in river-estuary systems support proxies for satellite-derived estimates of microplastic flux

This dataset entry provides raw measurement data from a study correlating microplastic concentrations with suspended particulate matter in river-estuary systems. The data supports developing satellite-based proxies for estimating microplastic flux in rivers and estuaries.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A multidimensional approach for microplastics monitoring in two major tropical river basins, Malaysia

Researchers conducted a multidimensional assessment of microplastic distribution in surface waters of two major Malaysian river basins, providing much-needed field data on microplastic emissions from Asian rivers known to be major contributors to ocean pollution.

2023 Environmental Research 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Relative contributions of different local sources to riverborne microplastic in a mixed landuse area within a tropical catchment

Researchers quantified the relative contributions of different land-use sources to riverborne microplastics in a tropical catchment, providing data to help prioritize pollution reduction measures for protecting human and ecological health.

2022 Environmental Research 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Modelling Microplastic Transport in River Systems Using the SWAT Hydrological Model

Researchers developed a novel modelling approach using the SWAT hydrological model to simulate microplastic transport through river basin systems, integrating hydrological and physical plastic properties. The model provides a tool for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater microplastic pollution to support mitigation planning.

2025 Natural and Engineering Sciences
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of microplastic pollution in urban lentic ecosystem using remote sensing, GIS, and Support Vector Machine (SVM): relevance for environmental and ecological risk

Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in 24 urban ponds and lakes in Kolkata, India, finding significantly higher concentrations during the post-monsoon season, with fibers making up about 59% of all particles. They developed machine learning and remote sensing models that achieved up to 98% accuracy in identifying water bodies and predicting microplastic levels from satellite imagery. The study demonstrates that combining field sampling with remote sensing technology can enable large-scale monitoring of urban microplastic pollution.

2026 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

Modelling global river export of microplastics to the marine environment: Sources and future trends

Researchers developed the GREMiS model to estimate global river export of microplastics to the ocean, projecting that annual marine inputs will increase significantly under business-as-usual plastic production scenarios.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 242 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic characteristics of microplastics under tidal influence and potential indirect monitoring methods

Researchers investigated microplastic dynamics in tidal river channels and found that abundance fluctuated significantly with tidal cycles, increasing during flood tides and decreasing during ebb tides, with a strong linear relationship between microplastic levels and water flow rates.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

A numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition for fluvial systems

Researchers developed a numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in river systems, finding that rivers act as temporary sinks trapping significant fractions of MPs before they reach the ocean, with implications for estimating marine MP loading from terrestrial sources.

2025 Earth Surface Dynamics 2 citations