Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Characterisation of floating microplastic in Romanian coastal waters, Western Black Sea

Researchers characterized floating microplastic distribution in Romanian coastal waters of the western Black Sea, analyzing 2,526 particles collected from five locations in March 2024. They found an average concentration of 3.07 particles per cubic meter, with fibers as the most common morphotype, and documented the polymer composition and color distribution across coastal sites.

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

Characterisation of floating microplastic in Romanian coastal waters, Western Black Sea

Researchers characterized floating microplastic distribution in Romanian coastal waters of the western Black Sea, analyzing 2,526 particles collected from five locations in March 2024. They found an average concentration of 3.07 particles per cubic meter, with fibers as the most common morphotype, and documented the polymer composition and color distribution across coastal sites.

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

High microplastic pollution in marine sediments associated with urbanised areas along the SW Bulgarian Black Sea coast

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in beach and seabed sediments along the southwestern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Urbanized coastal areas had significantly higher microplastic levels than non-urbanized areas, with seabed samples averaging over 800 particles per kilogram of dry sediment. The study identified sewage discharges, urban waste, fisheries, and marine litter accumulation as likely sources of the contamination.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and floating litter pollution in Bulgarian Black Sea coastal waters

Researchers conducted a pilot study of floating marine litter and microplastics along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, finding high quantities of floating litter (60.3-93.8 items per km) and microplastic concentrations of 0.114 to 1.91 x 10 items per km. Concentrations were on average lower than in other parts of the Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, though observed ranges were comparable.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 70 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of abundance of microplastics in the Bulgarian coastal waters

This study assessed microplastic pollution in Bulgarian Black Sea coastal waters across different site types — protected, aquaculture, and industrial zones — providing one of the first quantitative datasets for this undermonitored region. The presence of microplastics in all areas, including protected sites, indicates that contamination is pervasive and that Black Sea marine organisms face widespread exposure to particles that can also carry adsorbed chemical pollutants.

2023 BIORISK – Biodiversity and Ecosystem Risk Assessment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

An analysis of the current and forecasted ecological risk related to the presence of microplastics on the Romanian Black Sea coast

Researchers analyzed microplastics along 82 km of Romania's Black Sea coastline, finding densities between 122 and 536 particles per kilogram of sediment, with polyethylene as the dominant polymer. Forecasting models predict a sharp rise in ecological risk if plastic waste reduction and management practices are not urgently improved.

2025 Heliyon 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of plastic particles in surface waters of the Western Black Sea

Researchers collected surface water samples from the Western Black Sea near the Danube Delta and Romanian shore, finding micro-, meso-, and macroplastic particles that may contribute significantly to Mediterranean marine pollution via the connecting waterway. Organic matter was digested and plastic particles were isolated and characterised to quantify and identify the polymer types present.

2020 Environmental Pollution 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination and characteristics spatially vary in the southern Black Sea beach sediment and sea surface water

Microplastic abundance and characteristics were assessed along the southern Black Sea coastline, finding that over 70% of particles were smaller than 2.5 mm, with average concentrations of 64 particles/kg in beach sediment and 18.68 particles/m3 in seawater, and the Marmara region showing highest pollution.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 95 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Microplastics Distribution in the Bottom Sediments of the Western Black Sea

Researchers surveyed the bottom sediments of the western Black Sea and found microplastic particles at every sampling site, with fibers the most common shape and polyethylene/polypropylene the most common polymer types. The widespread presence across the shelf zone, without a clear pattern tied to distance from shore, suggests diffuse anthropogenic inputs rather than a single point source — a finding that complicates clean-up and monitoring efforts for this semi-enclosed sea.

2024 Visnyk of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Geology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence in coastal waters and aquatic faunas of the Western Black Sea

Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence in coastal waters and aquatic fauna of the Western Black Sea region receiving Danube River inputs, characterizing MP distributions in a coastal ecosystem under pressure from tourism, fishing, regional conflicts, and inadequate waste disposal across the Danube basin.

2024
Review Tier 2

Comprehensive Review regarding the Profile of the Microplastic Pollution in the Coastal Area of the Black Sea

This literature review profiled microplastic pollution across the Black Sea, summarizing contamination levels in water, sediment, and seafood consumed by coastal populations. The Black Sea's unique hydrodynamics and heavy riverine inputs create hotspots for microplastic accumulation, with seafood contamination posing direct human exposure concerns.

2022 Sustainability 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Assesment of the Marine Litter on the Romanian Black Sea Beaches

Seasonal surveys of Romanian Black Sea beaches found cigarette butts and plastic fragments as the most common litter types, with plastic pollution varying by level of tourist activity. Beach surveys like this establish baseline data for tracking progress on reducing plastic pollution in coastal areas.

2021 Cercetări Marine - Recherches Marines 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Transboundary Tides: Investigating Marine Plastic Pollution and Its Impact on the Black Sea Coastline

Researchers surveyed beaches in Romania along the Black Sea coast for plastic and microplastic litter, using harmonized EU monitoring methods including beach transect surveys and sediment sampling. Results revealed significant accumulation of plastic debris with transboundary origins confirmed by litter composition analysis, underscoring the need for coordinated regional action.

2025
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and temporal trends of microplastics in the coastal area in the Southern Black Sea over the past decade

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance, polymer types, and size distributions in seawater at three distances from the southeastern Black Sea coast over a decade (2009-2020). Polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate dominated at 44.9% and 25.3% respectively, with fragment shapes most common, and no significant spatiotemporal changes in abundance were detected.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 45 citations
Article Tier 2

First evaluation of neustonic microplastics in Black Sea waters

Researchers reported the first assessment of neustonic microplastics in Black Sea waters, finding microplastics in 92% of samples collected during two cruises, with fibers most abundant (49%), average concentrations around 1,200 particles per m3 in November, and spatial distribution patterns linked to wind dynamics and the rim current.

2016 Marine Environmental Research 192 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Black Sea sediments

Microplastics in Black Sea sediments were characterized by occurrence, morphology, and polymer type for the first time, using samples collected across a depth range of 22 to 2131 meters. The study tested a non-invasive filtration method and found microplastics across the sampled depth range, demonstrating vertical distribution of plastic pollution in the Black Sea.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 174 citations
Article Tier 2

Current status and comparative risk assessment of microplastic pollution in surface water and sediment from the Black Sea coastline using geospatial analysis

Researchers conducted the first comprehensive microplastic survey of Turkey's Black Sea coast, documenting a roughly 78% annual increase in surface water particle concentrations and a threefold rise at some sediment stations, with fibers and high-risk polymers like PET and PVC dominating both matrices and most sites rated high ecological risk.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution Profile in the Black Sea Region

Researchers reviewed 100 peer-reviewed articles to create a comprehensive pollution profile of microplastics in the Black Sea region. They found that microplastics have been documented across multiple environmental compartments in the region, with plastic products from various industrial sectors contributing to contamination. The review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on microplastic distribution and sources specific to this ecologically important semi-enclosed sea.

2024 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Microplastic Pollution on the Coasts of Giresun (Türkiye)

This study characterized microplastic pollution in sediment and seawater samples from six stations along the Black Sea coast of Giresun province, Turkey. Using microscopy and µ-FTIR spectroscopy, researchers identified widespread MP contamination with fibers and fragments as the dominant particle types.

2025 Karadeniz Fen Bilimleri Dergisi
Article Tier 2

Protracted dynamicity of microplastics in the coastal sediment of the Southeast Black Sea

Comparing sediment samples from the Southeast Black Sea coast collected a decade apart in 2012 and 2022, this study found that microplastic abundances had increased substantially and that fibers and fragments dominated, with the majority of detected polymers linked to regional fishing and tourism activities.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in a small fishing port in Zonguldak/Turkey

Researchers monitored microplastic abundance and morphology in a small Black Sea fishing port in Zonguldak, Turkey across three seasonal sampling campaigns, finding a mean concentration of 3,417 items/m3, with fiber morphology dominant and concentrations 1.43 times higher on days of peak fishing activity.

2023 Environmental Research and Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in commercial fish and their habitats in the important fishing ground of the Black Sea: Characteristic, concentration, and risk assessment

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in six commercial fish species from the Black Sea and found microplastics in all environmental areas studied, including surface water, the water column, sediments, and fish. Fibers were the most common type of microplastic found, and bottom-dwelling fish had higher contamination levels than fish living closer to the surface. Since these are commonly eaten fish species, the findings are relevant to human dietary exposure to microplastics.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Karakterizacija mikroplastike iz sedimenata plaže

Researchers characterized microplastics in beach sediment samples from Croatia, finding diverse shapes, colors, and polymer types consistent with fragmented packaging and textile debris. The study contributes to understanding microplastic contamination on Adriatic Sea beaches.

2019
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Beach Sediments of the Sea of Azov: Morphological and Morphometric Features

Researchers sampled microplastics from beaches of the Sea of Azov, documenting their concentrations, shapes, sizes, and degradation stages. The study provides important baseline data on microplastic contamination in a semi-enclosed sea that is heavily influenced by river inputs and regional plastic waste.

2021 Ekologicheskaya bezopasnost pribrezhnoy i shel fovoy zon morya 6 citations