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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Water environmental capacity of estuarine microplastics capped by species sensitivity threshold
ClearNon-traditional species sensitivity distribution approaches to analyze hazardous concentrations of microplastics in marine water
Researchers analyzed species sensitivity distribution curves for microplastic toxicity in marine water using non-traditional approaches, determining hazardous concentration thresholds across multiple toxicity endpoints to support environmental risk assessment.
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.
Study on water quality criteria and ecological risk assessment of microplastics in China’s surface waters
Researchers derived water quality criteria for microplastics in Chinese surface waters using species sensitivity distribution analysis across aquatic toxicity data. The resulting criteria values provide regulatory benchmarks for protecting aquatic organisms from microplastic contamination in freshwater and marine environments.
The fate of plastic litter within estuarine compartments: An overview of current knowledge for the transboundary issue to guide future assessments
Researchers reviewed global knowledge on plastic fate within estuaries and found plastic concentrations reaching thousands of items per cubic meter in water and sediment, while identifying major methodological gaps — particularly that microfibers are consistently undersampled and that studies rarely account for ecological trophic gradients or the physicochemical dynamics driving plastic distribution and bioavailability.
Assessment of potential ecological risk for microplastic particles
Researchers applied an ecological risk assessment framework to evaluate the hazard posed by microplastic particles across multiple environmental compartments, using species sensitivity distributions and environmental concentration data. The assessment highlighted specific particle types and size ranges that present the greatest ecological risk.
Integrating species sensitivity distributions and toxicity thresholds: A probabilistic risk assessment of microplastics in Yazhou Bay, South China Sea
Researchers assessed microplastic abundance and ecological risk in Yazhou Bay, South China Sea, finding surface water concentrations of 3,437 n/m³ with a modeled estimate reaching 241,000 n/m³ when accounting for smaller particle sizes. Species sensitivity distribution analysis identified significant ecological risk to marine organisms at detected concentrations.
The distribution and ecological effects of microplastics in an estuarine ecosystem
Researchers surveyed 22 intertidal sites and found that microplastic abundance, size, and diversity correlated with benthic microalgal communities and sediment biostabilization properties in an estuarine ecosystem.
Illustrating a Species Sensitivity Distribution for Nano- and Microplastic Particles Using Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling
Researchers developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to construct species sensitivity distributions for nano- and microplastic particles, deriving hazardous concentration thresholds to support environmental risk assessment of plastic pollution.
Assessment of potential ecological risk for microplastic particles
Researchers developed a framework for assessing the ecological risk of microplastic particles, incorporating particle characteristics, environmental concentrations, and species sensitivity data. The assessment identified conditions under which current environmental microplastic levels pose significant risk to aquatic organisms.
Spatial heterogeneity of microplastic pollution and associated emerging contaminants in tropical estuarine environments: Novel insights into distribution, bioavailability, and ecological risk
Scientists found tiny plastic particles in water, mud, and seafood like shellfish and crabs in two river areas in India. These microplastics carry harmful chemicals and are getting into the food chain, which could affect the safety of seafood that people eat. While the current risk appears low, this research shows we need better policies to reduce plastic pollution to protect both ocean ecosystems and human food sources.
Research Progress and New Ideas on the Theory and Methodology of Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Aquatic Organisms
This paper is not directly about microplastics; it reviews methodologies for setting water quality criteria for aquatic organism protection, focusing on species sensitivity distributions and assessment factors for chemical pollutants broadly.
Current and potential risks of microplastics in global surface waters
Researchers assessed the current and projected risk of floating microplastics in marine and freshwater ecosystems globally by comparing field occurrence concentrations to ecotoxicity thresholds using probability distributions that account for size mismatches between sampling and toxicity studies. Results estimated that 37% of marine environments already exceed conservative risk thresholds protective of 95% of species, with this fraction projected to rise to 47.4% by 2040 under a business-as-usual scenario.
Status of Microplastic Accumulation in Water and Sediments of Selected Estuarine Ecosystem of Southern Kerala, India
Researchers measured microplastic levels in water and sediment from estuaries in southern Kerala, India, finding significant contamination in both habitats. The study identifies these coastal estuaries as accumulation zones for microplastic pollution, posing risks to local aquatic life and fishing communities.
Estimating species sensitivity distributions for microplastics by quantitatively considering particle characteristics using a recently created ecotoxicity database
Researchers estimated species sensitivity distributions for microplastics using Bayesian modeling that accounts for particle characteristics such as size, shape, and polymer type. The study suggests that quantitatively considering these microplastic properties yields more accurate environmental risk assessments than traditional approaches that treat all microplastics as equivalent.
Meta-analysis of the hazards of microplastics in freshwaters using species sensitivity distributions
This meta-analysis built species sensitivity distributions for microplastics in freshwater and found that predicted no-effect concentrations for pristine microplastics were lower than for weathered ones, suggesting lab studies with new plastics may overestimate real-world hazards. The research highlights that most ecotoxicological studies use pristine microplastics at concentrations far exceeding environmental levels, complicating ecological risk assessment.
Modeling the spatiotemporal distribution, bioaccumulation, and ecological risk assessment of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: A review
Researchers modeled the spatiotemporal distribution and ecological risk of microplastics across a coastal marine environment, incorporating hydrodynamic data and bioaccumulation factors for multiple species. The model predicted highest microplastic concentrations near urban outflows with risk extending through the food web.
Low level of microplastic contamination in wild fish from an urban estuary
Researchers found low levels of microplastic contamination in 26 wild fish species from the Pearl River Estuary, South China, with abundance and polymer composition varying by species feeding strategy and habitat depth, suggesting that estuarine fish exposure depends substantially on ecological niche.
An enhanced risk assessment framework for microplastics occurring in the Westerscheldt estuary
Researchers developed an enhanced risk assessment framework for microplastics in the Westerscheldt estuary by surveying contamination levels in river sediments and water. They found significant microplastic pollution with abundances varying by location, and identified wastewater discharge and urban runoff as key sources. The study provides a structured approach for evaluating ecological risks from microplastic contamination in estuarine environments.
The estuarine plastics budget: A conceptual model and meta-analysis of microplastic abundance in estuarine systems
This meta-analysis examines how microplastics move through estuaries on their way to the ocean, finding that these transitional waterways act as both transport routes and temporary storage areas for plastic debris. Understanding microplastic behavior in estuaries matters because many communities rely on estuarine waters for fishing, recreation, and sometimes drinking water.
Understanding hazardous concentrations of microplastics in fresh water using non-traditional toxicity data
Researchers developed hazard concentration thresholds for microplastics in freshwater using non-traditional toxicity data, accounting for environmentally relevant sizes, shapes, and polymer types to provide more realistic governance standards.
Ecology of microplastics contamination within food webs of estuarine and coastal ecosystems
This paper describes a methodology for studying how microplastics are distributed seasonally and spatially through an estuary food web, from zooplankton to demersal fish. Understanding the ecology of microplastic transfer in estuaries is essential for assessing human dietary exposure through seafood from these highly productive environments.
Microplastic pollution in estuaries across a gradient of human impact
Researchers reviewed available literature on nanoplastic effects across marine organisms from algae to invertebrates, finding widespread negative effects including reproductive harm and lethality, high potential for bioaccumulation up food chains, and a critical lack of standardized detection methods or regulatory frameworks for nanoplastics in marine environments.
A Meta-analysis of Ecotoxicological Hazard Data for Nanoplastics in Marine and Freshwater Systems
This meta-analysis assessed the environmental hazard of nanoplastics (extremely tiny plastic particles) in freshwater and marine systems. By building species sensitivity distributions from available toxicity data, it found that nanoplastics can harm aquatic organisms at relatively low concentrations, highlighting the need for better environmental safety thresholds.
Mapping the plastic legacy: Geospatial predictions of a microplastic inventory in a complex estuarine system using machine learning
Researchers applied machine learning techniques to develop geospatial predictions of microplastic inventory in a complex estuarine system, overcoming the limitations of coarse ocean basin models by accounting for the intricate geomorphological and hydrodynamic conditions that govern sediment-associated microplastic distribution.