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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Retrospective trend analysis of biocides in suspended particulate matter of major German rivers
ClearUnveiling historical suspended sediment concentrations: Tracing microplastics and microfibers in a mediterranean lowland river
Researchers examined historical suspended sediment samples from a Mediterranean river catchment for microplastics, establishing a baseline of contamination dating back to 2005 and tracking changes over the study period. The retrospective analysis revealed that microplastic concentrations in riverine sediment have increased over time.
115 years of sediment deposition in a reservoir in Central Europe: Effects of the industrial history and environmental protection on heavy metals and microplastic
Researchers analyzed 115 years of sediment layers in a German reservoir to track historical patterns of heavy metal and microplastic pollution. They found that heavy metal contamination peaked during the industrial era and declined after environmental regulations were enacted, while microplastics appeared only in more recent decades. The study provides a long-term historical record showing how industrial activity and environmental policy have shaped pollutant accumulation over more than a century.
Long-Term Monitoring of Microplastics in a German Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant
Researchers conducted long-term monitoring of microplastics in a German municipal wastewater treatment plant, tracking seasonal and annual changes in influent and effluent concentrations and assessing the plant's overall plastic retention efficiency.
Microplastics meet micropollutants in a central european river stream: Adsorption of pollutants to microplastics under environmentally relevant conditions
Researchers investigated how microplastics adsorb organic micropollutants in a Central European river under real-world conditions. They found that aged microplastics showed higher adsorption capacity for contaminants compared to pristine ones, and that the type of plastic material influenced which pollutants were absorbed. The findings suggest that microplastics in rivers can act as carriers for harmful chemicals, potentially spreading contamination through aquatic ecosystems.
Historical trends of microplastic pollution in the Seine River (France) from 1960 to 2020 through the study of sedimentary archives
Researchers reconstructed the spatial and temporal history of microplastic pollution in the Seine River basin from 1960 to 2020 using sedimentary archives, characterizing contamination trends across the watershed to provide a long-term pollution record for a major European river system.
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.
Direkte Mikro- und Makroplastiktransportmessungen an großen und mittleren Flüssen sowie im Ablauf von Kläranlagen
This German-language study presents direct measurements of micro- and macroplastic transport in large and medium-sized rivers as well as wastewater treatment plant effluents. It addresses a research gap in freshwater plastic transport quantification, providing empirical data on how rivers carry plastics toward marine environments.
Unveiling historical suspended sediment concentrations: Tracing microplastics and microfibers in a mediterranean lowland river
Researchers analyzed historical suspended sediment samples from a Mediterranean catchment in Mallorca collected between 2005 and 2006 for microplastics and microfibers, providing a rare retrospective view of contamination. Microplastics were present even in these older samples, establishing a pre-existing baseline of contamination in the catchment.
Historical trends of microplastic pollution in the Seine River (France) from 1960 to 2020 through the study of sedimentary archives
Researchers reconstructed the historical trend of microplastic pollution in the Seine River basin from 1960 to 2020 by analyzing sedimentary archives, using sediment cores as long-term records to track how contamination levels have changed upstream of Paris over six decades.
Time-varying microplastic contributions of a large urban and industrial area to river sediments
Researchers analyzed dated sediment cores from upstream and downstream of a large city to track microplastic pollution trends from the 1980s to 2021. They found that downstream contamination was roughly ten times higher than upstream, but that industrial-source plastics showed a relative decline since the 2000s. The study provides rare long-term historical data suggesting that some pollution reduction policies may be having a measurable effect.
Reliable River Microplastic Monitoring Using Innovative Fluorescence Dyes—A Case Study
Researchers monitored microplastic concentrations (≥10 µm) in three German rivers using fluorescent staining-based detection, finding highly heterogeneous distributions ranging from 4 to 1761 MP/L and pronounced temporal fluctuations linked to weather events and changing inputs, with the Rehbach showing the highest mean concentration at 540 ± 476 MP/L.
Temporal evolution of plastic additive contents over the last decades in two major European rivers (Rhone and Rhine) from sediment cores analyses
Researchers analyzed sediment cores from the Rhone and Rhine rivers to track how plastic chemical additives have accumulated in freshwater sediments over recent decades. The study found increasing concentrations of phthalates and organophosphate esters over time, providing a historical record of plastic-related chemical pollution in two of Europe's most important river systems.
The role of museum of biological collections in environmental research: a short note
Museum biological collections — preserved specimens gathered over decades — provide a unique way to track how chemical contaminants like microplastics and heavy metals have changed in ecosystems over time. Comparing historical and modern specimens allows researchers to identify long-term pollution trends that would be impossible to detect through contemporary sampling alone.
Can natural history collection specimens be used as aquatic microplastic pollution bioindicators?
Researchers explored whether preserved animal specimens from natural history museum collections could serve as historical records of microplastic pollution over time. By reviewing how such collections have been used to track other pollutants, they identified key challenges — including inconsistent sampling and specimen degradation — and proposed guidelines for using museum archives to reconstruct how microplastic contamination has changed over decades.
Reservoir sediments in central Europe as archives of human-environmental interaction during the past 115 years - the example of the Urft Reservoir
Researchers used sediment cores from the Urft Reservoir in Germany spanning 115 years to reconstruct how mining, land-use change, and industrial activity have shaped regional environmental contamination, including the emergence of microplastics in more recent sediment layers.
Research progress of persistent organic pollutants in water: classification, sources, potential risks, and treatment approaches
This review summarizes existing research on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in water, covering their sources, classification, and health risks. The paper notes that microplastics act as carriers for these long-lasting toxic chemicals, transporting them through water systems and potentially increasing human exposure. Understanding how microplastics interact with POPs is important because it means plastic pollution may amplify the health risks of other chemical contaminants.
115 years of sediment deposition in the Urft reservoir (Eifel Mountains, western Germany)
Scientists analyzed 115 years of sediment layers in a German reservoir to track how industrial and human activities have changed environmental conditions over time. Sediment archives like this can reveal when microplastics first appeared in the environment and how their concentrations have changed.
Which\nMicropollutants in Water Environments Deserve\nMore Attention Globally?
This review analyzed which organic micropollutants in water environments deserve the most global attention based on their toxicity, occurrence frequency, and persistence. Microplastics are among the contaminants considered, alongside pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals that routinely escape conventional water treatment and accumulate in aquatic ecosystems.
Which\nMicropollutants in Water Environments Deserve\nMore Attention Globally?
This review analyzed which organic micropollutants in water environments deserve the most global attention based on their toxicity, occurrence frequency, and persistence. Microplastics are among the contaminants considered, alongside pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals that routinely escape conventional water treatment and accumulate in aquatic ecosystems.
Riverine microplastic contamination in southwest Germany: A large-scale survey
A large-scale survey of microplastic contamination across multiple rivers in southwest Germany found that contamination increased from headwaters to lowland sections and was elevated downstream of urban areas and wastewater treatment plant discharges. Fibers dominated in all rivers, and the study highlighted rivers as both pathways and temporary sinks for microplastics.
Microplastic particle emission from wastewater treatment plant effluents into river networks in Germany: Loads, spatial patterns of concentrations and potential toxicity
Researchers estimated annual microplastic particle emissions from wastewater treatment plants into Germany's ten major river basins and analyzed spatial concentration patterns across stream orders. The study found that while treatment plants are point sources of microplastic pollution, the spatial organization of facilities along river networks creates predictable downstream concentration patterns with potential ecological implications.
Decadal changes in microplastic accumulation in freshwater sediments: Evaluating influencing factors
Researchers analyzed decadal trends in microplastic accumulation using freshwater sediment cores, examining how land use, hydrological factors, and global plastic production influenced deposition over time. Microplastic concentrations increased consistently across cores, with local factors modulating the rate of accumulation at individual sites.
Microplastics in river water: occurrence, weathering, and adsorption behaviour
Researchers examined microplastics in river water, characterizing their occurrence, degree of weathering, and capacity to adsorb co-contaminants. The study highlights microplastics as vectors that can transport and re-release other pollutants in freshwater systems.
High Spatiotemporal Model-Based Tracking and Environmental Risk-Exposure of Wastewater-Derived Pharmaceuticals across River Networks in Saxony, Germany
This is an environmental engineering study modeling how pharmaceuticals from wastewater treatment plants travel through river networks in Saxony, Germany; it is not a microplastics research paper.