Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Diving into the Depths: Uncovering Microplastics in Norwegian Coastal Sediment Cores

Researchers analyzed microplastic vertical distribution in sediment cores from five sites along the Norwegian coast extending to Arctic waters, filling a gap in high-resolution depth profile data for European and Arctic sediments. Microplastics were found throughout core depths with concentrations generally increasing toward the surface in patterns reflecting historical plastic production growth.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling small microplastics in Norwegian coastal sediment cores

Researchers collected five sediment cores along the Norwegian Coastal Current using a multi-corer sampler to investigate the high-resolution vertical distribution of small microplastics in coastal and sub-Arctic sediments, addressing a major gap in knowledge about microplastic depth profiles in European waters. The study, part of the JPI Oceans FACTS project, aimed to characterise how microplastics are transported and deposited through the water column into seafloor sediments.

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

Unveiling small microplastics in Norwegian coastal sediment cores

Researchers examined the vertical distribution of small microplastics in sediment cores collected along the Norwegian Coastal Current as part of the JPI Oceans FACTS project, using a Multi-corer system to assess how microplastics are transported and deposited in European to Arctic coastal waters.

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

Can a Sediment Core Reveal the Plastic Age? Microplastic Preservation in a Coastal Sedimentary Record

Researchers used a sediment core from the NW Mediterranean Sea combined with state-of-the-art microplastic identification methods to reconstruct the historical record of microplastic pollution down to 11 micrometers in size. The core revealed a clear acceleration in microplastic burial rates since the 1960s and provided evidence that some polymer types are preserved well in sediment.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution of small microplastics in the Norwegian Coastal Current

Researchers mapped microplastic concentrations at multiple depths along the Norwegian Coastal Current, a major pathway carrying pollutants toward the Arctic. They found that the smallest microplastics, those under 50 micrometers, made up over 80% of all detected particles and were found at concentrations up to four orders of magnitude higher than larger microplastics, underscoring the importance of measuring these very small particles in ocean monitoring.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in deep-sea sediments

Researchers analyzed deep-sea sediment cores and found microplastics present at depth, providing early evidence that deep-sea sediments globally accumulate microplastic pollution far from coastlines and at the seafloor.

2013 Environmental Pollution 1521 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying microplastic mass in deep-sea sediment along a transect in the north pacific

Researchers collected sediment cores at six sites along an approximately 800 km transect offshore from San Diego, California in December 2022, using radiometric dating alongside microplastic analysis to quantify microplastic mass in deep-sea sediments and improve understanding of sedimentation rates and long-term plastic accumulation in the North Pacific.

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

The role of oceanographic processes and sedimentological settings on the deposition of microplastics in marine sediment: Icelandic waters

Researchers analyzed microplastics from marine sediment cores collected at eight sites on the Iceland continental shelf, examining how oceanographic processes and sedimentological settings influence the deposition and distribution of microplastic debris on the seafloor.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Are microplastics the ‘technofossils’ of the Anthropocene?

Researchers reviewed dating methods and microplastic data from sedimentary cores globally, establishing a chronological sequence of microplastic polymer types in sediment records and validating it against 39 published dated cores, demonstrating that microplastic composition can serve as a supplementary dating tool for Anthropocene sediments on a centennial scale.

2022 Anthropocene Coasts 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and spatial distribution of microplastics in sediments from Norderney

Researchers surveyed sediments from Norderney in the North Sea and found widespread microplastic contamination, documenting spatial distribution patterns and particle characteristics across this tidally influenced coastal environment.

2014 Environmental Pollution 608 citations
Article Tier 2

Chronological evidence of microplastic accumulation and contamination onset in Central Baltic Sea sediments

Analysis of well-preserved Baltic Sea sediment cores revealed a 50-year chronological record of microplastic accumulation, showing contamination onset in the mid-20th century with accelerating deposition in recent decades.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science
Article Tier 2

Microplastic distribution within core sediments of beach and its responses to anthropogenic activities

Researchers analyzed vertical microplastic distribution in beach sediment cores at five sites, finding that accumulation patterns in deeper layers reflect historical changes in human activities and coastal management, with anthropogenic pressure intensity correlating with microplastic depth profiles.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation and distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments from the inner Oslofjord, Norway

Researchers found microplastic concentrations of 0.02 to 1.71 MPs/g dry weight in sediments from the inner Oslofjord, Norway, with polyester fibers dominating (76%) and microplastic morphology and polymer type influencing accumulation in specific sediment grain-size fractions.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Sediment Cores from Asia and Africa as Indicators of Temporal Trends in Plastic Pollution

By extracting microplastics from dated sediment cores in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Africa, researchers reconstructed the historical increase in plastic pollution over decades. The study shows that microplastic accumulation in sediments tracks the global rise in plastic production, making sediment cores a useful record of pollution history.

2017 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 438 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

Researchers sampled sediment cores from an urban estuary to map how microplastic particles are distributed at different depths over time. The study found that microplastic density varied with sediment depth, reflecting historical changes in plastic pollution and urban runoff.

2017 Frontiers in Marine Science 271 citations
Article Tier 2

Tracking the microplastic accumulation from past to present in the freshwater ecosystems: A case study in Susurluk Basin, Turkey

Researchers tracked the historical accumulation of microplastics in freshwater lake sediment cores, finding a steady increase in particle deposition corresponding to rising plastic production since the mid-20th century and demonstrating that sediment archives can reconstruct the timeline of freshwater microplastic pollution.

2022 Chemosphere 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Depth profiles of microplastics in sediments from inland water to coast and their influential factors

This review examines how microplastics settle and accumulate in deep sediment layers from rivers to coastal areas, revealing that contamination extends well below the surface. Generally, smaller microplastics are found at greater depths, and the abundance varies significantly from site to site. Understanding how microplastics bury themselves in sediments is important because these hidden reservoirs could release particles back into water supplies over time, affecting both ecosystems and human water sources.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 53 citations
Article Tier 2

First long-term evidence of microplastic pollution in the deep subtropical Northeast Atlantic

Researchers found microplastic particles in all 110 sediment trap samples collected over a 12-year period from 2,000-meter depths in the Northeast Atlantic, establishing the deep ocean as a long-term sink for microplastics with fluxes increasing over time.

2022 Environmental Pollution 26 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastic distribution in sediment profiles

A review of microplastic distribution in marine sediment cores found that between 70–90% of environmental MPs accumulate in sediment profiles and that dated sediment cores can reconstruct historical MP deposition trends, with one Kuwaiti Bay core showing a 5-fold increase from 1951 to 2009.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 171 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics and ultrafine microplastic in the Dutch Wadden Sea – The hidden plastics debris?

Researchers applied a novel analytical method to detect nanoplastics and ultrafine microplastics smaller than 10 micrometers in Dutch Wadden Sea sediments, revealing a previously hidden fraction of plastic debris that conventional methods miss.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 117 citations