Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A Review on Microplastics in Offshore and Nearshore Waters

This short review covered sampling and analytical techniques used to quantify microplastics in nearshore and offshore ocean waters, providing an overview of published distribution data across different oceans and coastal zones to guide standardization of marine microplastic monitoring.

2025 Journal of Water Resource and Protection 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Progress on microplastics pollution and its ecological effects in the coastal environment

This review systematically summarizes a decade of research on microplastic pollution and its ecological effects in coastal environments worldwide, identifying persistent technical challenges in sampling standardization, particle identification, and ecological impact assessment. Researchers highlight the need for unified methodologies to better understand the sources, fate, and biological consequences of coastal microplastic contamination.

2015 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in a Marine Environment: Review of Methods for Sampling, Processing, and Analyzing Microplastics in Water, Bottom Sediments, and Coastal Deposits

This review briefly describes the principal approaches, methods, and procedures for sampling and analysing microplastics in marine environments including water columns, bottom sediments, and coastal deposits. Researchers outline key considerations for each environmental matrix to support consistent and comparable microplastic monitoring.

2018 Oceanology 131 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Progress on Marine Microplastics Pollution Research: A Review on Pollution Occurrence, Detection, and Environmental Effects

This review summarized current knowledge on marine microplastic pollution, covering detection methods, occurrence across ocean zones and organism types, and environmental effects, while identifying key research gaps around long-term ecological impacts and standardized monitoring protocols.

2021 Water 29 citations
Review Tier 2

A review of microplastic transport in coastal zones

This review summarizes the sources, distribution, and movement patterns of microplastics in coastal zones around the world. Researchers found that microplastic transport is driven by waves, tides, currents, and biological processes like biofouling, and that coastal areas serve as both accumulation zones and pathways for microplastics moving between land and open ocean. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps in understanding how microplastics behave in these dynamic environments.

2024 Marine Environmental Research 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutions du milieu littoral par les microplastiques : Méthodes d’évaluation

This French review evaluated analytical methods for assessing microplastic pollution in coastal and marine environments, comparing different sampling, extraction, and characterization techniques. The review serves as a technical guide for researchers and monitoring programs seeking to measure microplastic contamination consistently and accurately.

2017 ZooKeys
Article Tier 2

Assessing the Impact of Microplastic Pollution on Coastal Ecosystems: a Multidimensional Environmental Approach

This review presents a comprehensive multidimensional analysis of microplastic pollution in coastal ecosystems, covering sources, distribution pathways, ecological effects on marine organisms, and implications for environmental management. The authors draw on recent interdisciplinary research to assess how microplastics infiltrate nearly every ecological compartment from coastal waters to ocean sediments and interact with biological and chemical systems.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Distribution and importance of microplastics in the marine environment: A review of the sources, fate, effects, and potential solutions

This review synthesized research on the distribution and significance of microplastics across the marine environment, covering sources, transport pathways, ecological interactions, and the state of knowledge on biological and chemical effects.

2017 Environment International 2517 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in Chinese bays: Sampling method comparisons, key drivers, and economic influence

Researchers compiled microplastic data from over 300 sampling stations across 13 bays in China and compared three different water sampling methods. They found that microplastic distribution was heterogeneous across bays and that sampling method significantly affected measured abundance, though not the types of polymers detected. The study also found a positive correlation between regional economic development and microplastic pollution levels, suggesting that human activity intensity is a key driver of coastal contamination.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 8 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A systematic review and scientometrics analysis on microplastic pollution on coastal beaches around the globe

This systematic review analyzes microplastic pollution on coastal beaches worldwide. The research found that beach contamination varies widely by region but is present on virtually every coastline studied. This matters because beaches are not just recreational areas but also habitats where microplastics can enter marine food webs and eventually reach people through seafood consumption.

2025 Continental Shelf Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of environmental and anthropogenic factors on the composition, concentration and spatial distribution of microplastics: A case study of the Bay of Brest (Brittany, France)

Researchers surveyed microplastic concentrations in surface water and sediment at nine locations across the Bay of Brest, France, and found that pollution levels were highest near population centers and wastewater outfalls. The study identified both polymer types and size distributions, helping to trace the sources of microplastic contamination in this coastal bay.

2017 Environmental Pollution 422 citations
Article Tier 2

Study on the Mass Concentration Distributions of Marine Microplastics in Estuaries and Coastal Areas

Researchers characterized the mass concentration distribution of marine microplastics in estuarine and coastal environments, measuring spatial gradients between river mouths and open coastal waters and identifying estuaries as major transition zones for microplastic flux.

2025 Water 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying microplastic pollution on sandy beaches: the conundrum of large sample variability and spatial heterogeneity

This methodological study tested different sampling approaches for measuring microplastic pellets on sandy beaches and found that concentrations vary greatly over small spatial distances, making single samples unreliable. The authors recommend specific multi-sample strategies to get accurate estimates of beach microplastic contamination.

2017 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Coastal zone use influences the spatial distribution of microplastics in Hangzhou Bay, China

Researchers characterized microplastic abundance, size, and polymer types in water, sediment, and biota across Hangzhou Bay, China, an area heavily influenced by human activities. The study found that different forms of coastal zone use, including mariculture, port activities, and urban development, significantly influenced the spatial distribution of microplastics in the region.

2020 Environmental Pollution 153 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution, Migration and Ecological Effects of Microplastics in Marine Environment

This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution in the world's oceans, covering where these particles come from, how they are distributed across surface waters, sediments, and marine organisms, and how they move through ocean currents. Researchers summarize the ecological effects of marine microplastics, including their ability to carry toxic chemicals and harm marine life. The study calls for stronger international cooperation and standardized research methods to address this growing environmental challenge.

2024 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of microplastics in different matrices in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Researchers characterized microplastics across multiple matrices (water, sediment, organisms) in Jiaozhou Bay, China to understand coastal pollution patterns. They found widespread microplastic contamination with distinct distribution profiles linked to coastal human activities and identified sources to support pollution mitigation strategies.

2025
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of Microplastic Pollution in Marine Environments Sources, Distribution, and Impact

This review synthesizes evidence on microplastic contamination across all marine compartments — surface waters, sediments, and biota — analyzing major sources, distribution patterns, and ecological and human health impacts. The authors emphasize the pervasive and often irreversible nature of marine microplastic pollution.

2025 International Journal of Environmental Sciences
Review Tier 2

Estimating global marine surface microplastic abundance: systematic literature review

Researchers conducted a systematic literature review to estimate global marine surface microplastic abundance, compiling data from studies worldwide to produce abundance maps. The study found significant variation in microplastic concentrations across different ocean regions, providing a broader picture of the scale and distribution of marine microplastic pollution.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 61 citations
Article Tier 2

An Integrated Assessmentof Microplastic Pollutionin Coastal Surface Water and Sediment of Japan

Researchers conducted an integrated assessment of microplastic pollution in coastal surface water and sediment around Japan, providing a comprehensive dataset that clarifies the extent of contamination in Japanese coastal areas previously lacking systematic monitoring data.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

The Contribution of Microplastics to Marine Pollution

This review examines the contribution of microplastics to marine pollution, covering the pathways by which plastic particles enter ocean systems, their distribution across ocean basins, effects on marine life, and the challenges of reducing the flow of plastic into the sea.

2025 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
Article Tier 2

Plastics and microplastics, effects on marine coastal areas: a review

This review examines how plastics and microplastics impact coastal marine ecosystems, covering their entry pathways, degradation under environmental conditions, and ecological effects on marine organisms.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 72 citations
Article Tier 2

An integrated assessment of microplastic pollution in coastal surface water and sediment of Japan

Researchers conducted a comprehensive survey of microplastic pollution across 14 coastal locations around Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa, measuring concentrations of 288.7 g/km2 in surface water and 1,185 kg/km2 in sediment and characterizing polymer types, shapes, and size distributions.

2025
Review Tier 2

Review on the distribution of microplastics in the oceans and its impacts: Need for modeling-based approach to investigate the transport and risk of microplastic pollution

This review synthesizes evidence on microplastic distribution across global oceans and argues that modeling-based approaches are urgently needed to better understand transport pathways and assess pollution risks at scale.

2021 Environmental Engineering Research 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Monitoring environmental accumulation

This book chapter examines the challenges of monitoring environmental accumulation of microplastics, reviewing the factors — including polymer type, meteorology, hydrology, and sedimentology — that drive their spatially heterogeneous distribution across multiple environmental sinks. The authors highlight how inconsistent methodologies and reporting conventions undermine cross-study comparisons and discuss the trade-offs among various sampling strategies.

2024 Microplastics 1 citations