Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

How does the tidal cycle influence the estuarine dynamics of microplastics?

Researchers tracked how tidal cycles influence the movement and distribution of microplastics within estuaries, finding that tidal dynamics play a major role in concentrating or dispersing particles across intertidal zones. The study provides a framework for understanding microplastic transport in tidal environments.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical distribution and river-sea transport of microplastics with tidal fluctuation in a subtropical estuary, China

Researchers investigated how tidal fluctuation affects the vertical distribution and river-sea transport of microplastics in a subtropical estuary in China, finding that tidal dynamics significantly influence microplastic size, concentration, and movement between river and marine environments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic characteristics of microplastics under tidal influence and potential indirect monitoring methods

Researchers investigated microplastic dynamics in tidal river channels and found that abundance fluctuated significantly with tidal cycles, increasing during flood tides and decreasing during ebb tides, with a strong linear relationship between microplastic levels and water flow rates.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Do tidal fluctuations affect microplastics distribution and composition in coastal waters?

This study investigated whether tidal fluctuations affect the distribution and composition of microplastics in megatidal coastal waters. Researchers collected water samples across complete tidal cycles during spring and neap tides, providing insights into how natural hydrodynamic processes influence microplastic transport and concentration patterns.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamics of microplastic abundance under tidal fluctuation in Musi estuary, Indonesia

This first study of microplastic dynamics under tidal influence in the Musi River Estuary, Indonesia, found that particle abundance fluctuated with flood and ebb tides, with tidal forcing shaping microplastic transport across estuarine zones.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal variability of microplastic transport modulated by tides: A mass-based assessment in a turbidity maximum zone

Researchers found that tidal dynamics seasonally modulate microplastic transport in an estuary's turbidity maximum zone, with summer conditions promoting bottom enrichment and seaward decreases in particle size and abundance consistent with fragmentation and differential settling processes.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

O ciclo de maré influencia a dinâmica de microplásticos em um estuário do semi-areado brasileiro?

Researchers investigated whether tidal cycles and seasonality influence the abundance and morphological characteristics of microplastics in the surface waters of the Cocos River estuary in Fortaleza, Brazil, a semi-arid region. Samples were collected every two hours throughout complete tidal cycles across multiple seasons, revealing how hydrodynamic forces and climatic variation drive microplastic transport dynamics in a tropical urban estuary.

2024 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Quantitative tidal control of spatiotemporal microplastics variability in an estuary

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles in river water get trapped and concentrated near the bottom of estuaries (where rivers meet the ocean) by tides and saltwater layers. Over time, these microplastics get pushed out to sea, meaning rivers are continuously dumping plastic pollution into our oceans. This matters because microplastics can enter the food chain through seafood we eat, and understanding how they move helps us figure out where the pollution is coming from and how to reduce it.

2026
Article Tier 2

Horizontal variation of microplastics with tidal fluctuation in the Chao Phraya River Estuary, Thailand

Microplastic concentrations and composition in the Chao Phraya River Estuary in Thailand varied with tidal cycle, with flood tides increasing marine-sourced particles and ebb tides flushing river-derived fragments, showing that tidal dynamics must be accounted for in estuarine microplastic sampling designs.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic signatures of microplastic distribution across the water column of Yangtze River Estuary: Complicated implication of tidal effects

Seasonal sampling of microplastic concentrations throughout the Yangtze River Estuary water column found tidal dynamics strongly influenced distribution, with researchers developing a model estimating 2154 tons per year of microplastic flux into the East China Sea and a tide impact factor index of 38-58%.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in three urban estuaries, China

Researchers surveyed three urban estuaries in China and found microplastics throughout, with concentrations and types reflecting the combined influence of surrounding city density, stormwater runoff, and tidal mixing.

2015 Environmental Pollution 696 citations
Article Tier 2

Mobilization and deposition of plastic along an estuarine bank during tidal cycles

An experimental study in a French macrotidal estuary tracked plastic debris (macro, meso, and microplastics ≥3 mm) across six tidal cycles, finding that tidal mobilization and deposition patterns on estuarine banks are highly dynamic and dependent on plastic composition, shape, and tidal stage.

2025 Heliyon 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of tidal current on the settling and accumulation of microplastics in the Chao Phraya River estuary, Thailand

Researchers investigated the effect of tidal currents on the settling and accumulation of microplastics in the Chao Phraya River estuary during a mixed spring tidal cycle, deploying sediment traps at 3 meters depth during flood and ebb tides. The study found that tidal dynamics significantly influence where and how microplastics are deposited in estuarine sediments.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Tidal intensity and suspended sediment concentration drive microplastic distribution in the Pearl River Estuary: Insights from remote sensing retrieval

Field measurements showed that tidal intensity and suspended sediment concentrations are key drivers of microplastic transport in coastal and estuarine waters. The results help explain why microplastic concentrations fluctuate with tidal cycles and inform models predicting where plastics accumulate in dynamic coastal zones.

2025 Environmental Pollution 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of estuarine physical processes in the transport of microplastics: a modelling study in the Gironde estuary

Researchers developed a hydrodynamic model to investigate how estuarine physical processes in the Gironde estuary influence the transport and distribution of microplastics, examining the role of tidal currents, salinity gradients, and fluvial discharge on particle fate. The modelling study provides insight into the mechanisms controlling microplastic accumulation and export in estuarine environments.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Suspended microplastics during a tidal cycle in sea-surface waters around Chao Phraya River mouth, Thailand

Researchers sampled microplastics from surface waters around the Chao Phraya River mouth in Thailand during low and high tides. Microplastic concentrations were significantly lower during spring tide than neap tide, suggesting that tidal dynamics play an important role in how plastic particles are distributed and diluted in coastal waters.

2020 ScienceAsia 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport mechanisms and fate of microplastics in estuarine compartments: A review

This review analyzes how tides, river flow, density, biofouling, and sediment dynamics influence the transport and fate of microplastics in estuaries, identifying these transitional zones as both temporary sinks and conduits for plastic pollution.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 189 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrology Modulates the Microplastics Composition and Transport Flux Across the River–Sea Interface in Zhanjiang Bay, China

Researchers measured how tides and seasonal rainfall affect the movement of microplastics through an estuary in southern China. They found that microplastic levels rose during low tides and dropped during high tides, with an estimated 1.6 billion particles flowing from river to sea each year. The findings provide a framework for understanding how water flow patterns drive microplastic transport into coastal environments.

2025 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in the Belawan Estuary, Indonesia

Researchers tracked microplastic levels across different tidal cycles and lunar phases in an Indonesian estuary, finding that concentrations peaked near the coastline during high tide and full moon periods. The study shows that tidal currents and seasonal water flow patterns strongly control where microplastics accumulate, which is important for designing cleanup strategies.

2025 The Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Water 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Physical processes matters! Recommendations for sampling microplastics in estuarine waters based on hydrodynamics

This methodological review discusses how estuarine hydrodynamics create challenges for representative microplastic sampling, recommending standardized protocols that account for tidal cycles, salinity gradients, and seasonal variability to ensure comparability of data across different estuary systems.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Tide-driven microplastics transport in an elongated semi-closed bay: A case study in Xiangshan Bay, China

Researchers combined field sampling and numerical tidal flow modeling to study microplastic transport in Xiangshan Bay, China, finding that tidal currents play a significant role in redistributing microplastics within this semi-closed coastal bay before they reach the open ocean.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Revealing the migration behaviors of microplastics in the intertidal environments

This study investigated the migration behavior of microplastics in intertidal environments, examining how tidal dynamics, sediment characteristics, and particle properties govern whether microplastics accumulate, are buried, or are remobilized in coastal zones.

2025 Frontiers in Environmental Science
Article Tier 2

Tide-induced infiltration and resuspension of microplastics in shorelines: Insights from tidal tank experiments

Researchers investigated how tidal forces drive microplastic infiltration and resuspension in shoreline sediments using tidal tank experiments, finding that smaller, lower-density particles were more readily resuspended and that tidal cycles progressively redistributed microplastics.

2023 Water Research 31 citations