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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to The urban microplastic footprint: investigating the distribution and transport
ClearAbundance, Distribution and Drivers of Microplastic Contaminant in Urban River Environments
Researchers surveyed microplastic distribution in urban river environments and identified key drivers of accumulation hotspots, finding that land use, hydrology, and infrastructure factors concentrated microplastics at predictable locations that could inform targeted management interventions.
Design of model microplastics to study their transport in urban waters
Researchers designed model microplastic particles with controlled physical properties to systematically study their transport behavior in urban water systems. The work provides a foundation for understanding how microplastic size, density, and shape influence fate and transport in stormwater and urban drainage networks.
Microplastic contamination in an urban area: a case study in Greater Paris
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination across Greater Paris, finding that urban areas generate and accumulate substantial microplastic pollution through multiple pathways including stormwater, atmospheric deposition, and river transport.
Quantitative Analysis of Urban Microplastic Dissemination and Accumulation in Marine Ecosystems: Pathways, Processes, and Impacts
Researchers conducted quantitative water and sediment sampling across urban, riverine, and marine environments to trace microplastic transport pathways from cities into marine ecosystems. They found microplastics in all sampled environments — highest in urban areas — with polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET most prevalent, and documented ingestion evidence across marine species alongside seasonal concentration peaks correlated with rainfall-driven urban runoff.
Quantitative Analysis of Urban Microplastic Dissemination and Accumulation in Marine Ecosystems: Pathways, Processes, and Impacts
Researchers used water and sediment sampling across urban, riverine, and marine environments to quantify microplastic pathways from cities into marine ecosystems, finding the highest concentrations in urban areas linked to industrial activity and poor waste management. Polyethylene, polypropylene, and PET were the most common polymer types, with seasonal peaks in concentration tracking periods of high rainfall and urban runoff.
Estimating microplastic flows across rural-urban gradients in a French catchment
Researchers estimated microplastic flows across rural-urban gradients in a French catchment, examining how land use and urbanization influence the transport and distribution of microplastic particles through the watershed system.
Anthropogenic Litter in Urban Freshwater Ecosystems: Distribution and Microbial Interactions
Researchers quantified anthropogenic litter in urban rivers and streams and found that microplastics dominated by mass and particle count compared to macroplastic items. The study highlights urban freshwater systems as major conduits for plastic pollution moving toward marine environments and documents distinct microbial communities on plastic surfaces.
Microplastic pollution in sophisticated urban river systems: Combined influence of land-use types and physicochemical characteristics
This study assessed microplastic pollution across an urban river network in China, finding that land-use type and water physicochemical properties jointly influence microplastic distribution, with industrial and residential areas contributing highest loads.
Superimposed microplastic pollution in a coastal metropolis
A comprehensive characterization of microplastic pollution sources, distribution, and accumulation in a coastal metropolis found multiple overlapping pathways contributing to marine contamination, from urban runoff to wastewater discharge. The study emphasizes that urban coastal cities are both major sources and sinks of microplastic pollution.
Characterizing microplastics in urban runoff: A multi-land use assessment with a focus on 1–125 μm size particles
Researchers collected stormwater runoff from three different urban land use types and found microplastics present across all sites, with significant variation in polymer types depending on the area. By using multiple detection techniques, they were able to identify particles as small as 1 micrometer, revealing that the smallest size fractions dominated the total count. The study emphasizes that urban runoff is a major pathway for microplastic pollution reaching waterways.
Microplastic sampling strategies in urban drainage systems for quantification of urban emissions based on transport pathways
Researchers developed and applied microplastic sampling strategies across an entire urban municipal catchment under both dry and wet weather conditions, finding that wastewater treatment plants remove over 96% of microplastics but still emit 189 kg per year, while wet-weather emissions from high-traffic subcatchments reached 1,952 grams per population equivalent per year, far exceeding dry-weather levels.
Towards control strategies for microplastics in urban water
This paper applies substance flow analysis to map where microplastics enter, travel through, and accumulate in urban water systems to identify key control points. A systematic whole-system approach is needed because targeting individual sources in isolation has limited effect on overall pollution levels.
Distribution of microplastics in freshwater systems in an urbanized region: A case study in Flanders (Belgium)
Researchers mapped microplastic distribution across freshwater systems in Flanders, Belgium, finding widespread contamination with concentrations varying by land use and urbanization level, providing a regional-scale assessment needed for risk evaluation in densely populated areas.
Estimating microplastic flows across rural-urban gradients in a French catchment
Researchers estimated microplastic flows along rural-to-urban gradients within a French catchment, quantifying how land use transitions influence MP loading and transport dynamics in surface waters. The study provides spatially resolved flux estimates that reveal how urbanization amplifies microplastic contributions to downstream receiving environments.
Contributing to the assessment of the impact of urban activities on microplastic transport through air and runoff infiltration
Researchers investigated the contribution of urban activities to microplastic transport through both airborne pathways and stormwater runoff infiltration, quantifying plastic particle fluxes in an urban watershed. The study found that road surfaces, construction materials, and tire wear were significant urban sources, with rainfall events mobilizing microplastics into both air and subsurface water.
Sources, transport, measurement and impact of nano and microplastics in urban watersheds
This review examines what is known about nano and microplastic sources, transport pathways, transformations, and measurement challenges in urban watershed environments, identifying freshwater and terrestrial systems as critically underresearched compared to marine settings. The authors stress that most ocean plastic originates from land, making urban watershed research essential for source control.
A Review of Microplastic Pollution Characteristics in Global Urban Freshwater Catchments
This review synthesizes evidence on microplastic pollution characteristics in urban freshwater catchments worldwide, examining sources, concentrations, and transport pathways from terrestrial to marine environments. Researchers found that human activities are the fundamental driver of microplastic pollution and that freshwater catchments serve as critical conduits for microplastic transfer to oceans.
Spatio and temporal dynamics of microplastic fluxes within the watercourses of a peri-urban watershed
Researchers tracked the spatiotemporal dynamics of microplastic fluxes within a river catchment over time, linking plastic transport patterns to land use activities. The study found that land use type is a key driver of when and how much microplastic enters and moves through watercourses.
Quantifying microplastic stocks and flows in the urban agglomeration based on the mass balance model and source-pathway-receptor framework: Revealing the role of pollution sources, weather patterns, and environmental management practices
Researchers developed a mass balance model using a source-pathway-receptor framework to quantify microplastic stocks and flows in an urban agglomeration, revealing how pollution sources, weather patterns, and environmental management practices collectively determine the transport of microplastics to receiving water bodies.
Assessment of microplastic transport and distribution in the urban environment of Coimbra municipality
Researchers tracked microplastic transport and distribution across five urban watersheds in Coimbra, Portugal, sampling atmospheric deposition, runoff, and streams before and during rainfall. Wet deposition carried more MPs than dry deposition, stream concentrations nearly doubled during rain events, and more urbanized, smaller watersheds had higher MP loads.