Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Machine learning models for forecasting microplastic dynamics in China’s coastal waters

Researchers used machine learning to analyze microplastic pollution patterns across China's four major coastal seas, drawing on over 1,100 data points from peer-reviewed studies. They found that urban centers and industrial activities are key drivers of contamination, with pollution levels varying significantly between marine, coastal, and estuary environments. The models project that economic development and education could reduce microplastic concentrations, while industrial expansion may increase them.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Predicting microplastic quantities in Indonesian provincial rivers using machine learning models

This study used machine learning models to predict microplastic levels in rivers across 24 Indonesian provinces based on environmental and economic data. Temperature, economic output, and population density were the strongest predictors of microplastic pollution. The approach could help environmental agencies monitor and manage microplastic contamination in freshwater systems more efficiently.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Prediction of microplastic abundance in surface water of the ocean and influencing factors based on ensemble learning

Researchers used machine learning to predict microplastic levels in ocean surface waters and identify the key factors driving contamination. Their models found that geographic location, ocean currents, and proximity to populated coastlines were major predictors of microplastic abundance. This approach could help scientists map pollution hotspots without costly and time-consuming physical sampling.

2023 Environmental Pollution 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in China’s surface water systems: Distribution, driving forces and ecological risk

Researchers compiled over 14,000 samples from across China to map microplastic pollution in surface water systems using machine learning models. They found that microplastic abundance varied enormously across regions, driven by a complex mix of human activities and natural conditions. The ecological risk assessment revealed that watersheds in nearly all Chinese provinces face high to extremely high contamination levels, underscoring the urgency of nationwide management efforts.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Are we underestimating the driving factors and potential risks of freshwater microplastics from in situ and in silico perspective?

Researchers combined field sampling with machine learning predictions to assess microplastic contamination in rivers of China's Yangtze River Delta, incorporating land use, hydrology, and particle properties. The study found that conventional assessments may underestimate risk by overlooking smaller particle sizes and high-density polymers, and that textile manufacturing effluents are a major underrecognized source.

2025 Water Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in the Yangtze River: Characterization, influencing factors, and scenario-based predictions using machine learning method

Microplastic pollution in the Yangtze River was characterized across multiple sampling sites, documenting spatial patterns in particle abundance, polymer types, and size distributions. As one of the world's largest rivers, the Yangtze's microplastic burden has major implications for plastic delivery to the Pacific Ocean.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mapping the plastic legacy: Geospatial predictions of a microplastic inventory in a complex estuarine system using machine learning

Researchers applied machine learning techniques to develop geospatial predictions of microplastic inventory in a complex estuarine system, overcoming the limitations of coarse ocean basin models by accounting for the intricate geomorphological and hydrodynamic conditions that govern sediment-associated microplastic distribution.

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

Mapping the Plastic Legacy: Geospatial Predictions of a Microplastic Inventory in a Complex Estuarine System Using Machine Learning

Researchers applied machine learning geospatial modelling to predict microplastic distribution across a complex estuarine system, using sediment samples as a training dataset to generate spatial inventory maps of microplastic accumulation. The model leveraged the estuary's role as a land-sea interface and plastic accumulation bottleneck to produce high-resolution predictions of microplastic hotspots for monitoring and management purposes.

2024
Article Tier 2

AI-Driven Framework Development for Predictive Classification of Microplastic Concentration of Aquatic Systems in the United States

Researchers compared four machine learning models—logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine, and a neural network—for predicting microplastic density in US coastal waters across three regions. The support vector machine performed best with 93.94% average accuracy, demonstrating the potential of AI-driven tools for microplastic monitoring.

2025
Article Tier 2

Sedimentary abundance and major determinants of river microplastic contamination in the central arid part of Iran

A river in central Iran showed a sharp downstream gradient of microplastic contamination in sediments, with levels near a major wastewater treatment plant far exceeding upstream concentrations. Machine learning analysis identified human population density — the number of local residents and tourists — as the strongest predictor of microplastic levels, outperforming factors like sediment chemistry or river geometry. The results point to consumer plastic use and inadequate waste disposal as the dominant drivers of river microplastic pollution in arid urban regions, with practical implications for targeted management interventions.

2023 Applied Water Science 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of machine learning in assessing spatial distribution patterns of soil microplastics: a case study of the Bang Pakong Watershed, Thailand

Machine learning models were applied to predict spatial distribution patterns of microplastics in soils across a Thai watershed, identifying land use types and proximity to water bodies as key factors driving contamination levels.

2023
Article Tier 2

A Predictive Framework for Marine Microplastic Pollution using Machine Learning and Spatial Analysis

Researchers developed a machine learning framework integrated with geospatial analysis to predict microplastic pollution density across ocean regions. The Gradient Boosting model achieved the highest accuracy with 97% predictive performance, and spatial visualizations revealed pollution hotspots concentrated near industrial coastlines and major ocean current pathways.

2025 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of potentially contaminated areas of soil microplastic based on machine learning: A case study in Taihu Lake region, China

Researchers applied machine learning models — including random forest and support vector regression — to predict the spatial distribution of soil microplastic pollution in China's Taihu Lake region, finding that soil texture, population density, and proximity to known plastic sources were the dominant drivers, with nearly half of urban soils showing serious contamination.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Dynamic prediction of large spherical and cylindrical microplastic deposition: a machine learning approach for transport and deposition

Researchers developed a machine learning model combined with dimensionless analysis to predict the deposition patterns of spherical and cylindrical microplastics in aquatic environments. The model accounts for varied flow conditions and particle shapes to improve predictions of where microplastics settle in water bodies. The study offers a practical tool for pollution monitoring efforts by helping predict microplastic accumulation hotspots in rivers and oceans.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Environmental Pollution 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of environmental and socioeconomic drivers of urban stormwater microplastics using machine learning

Using machine learning on data from 107 urban areas worldwide, researchers identified the key factors driving microplastic levels in stormwater runoff, including weather patterns, land use, and waste management practices. The study found that inconsistent definitions of what counts as a "microplastic" across different studies is a major barrier to comparing contamination levels between cities.

2025 Scientific Reports 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Prediction of Microplastic Emissions in River Basins Based on Mathematical Models

Researchers developed a mathematical model integrating multivariate linear regression and stepwise regression to predict microplastic emissions in the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River Basin, using historical abundance data to forecast 2025 annual average concentrations in this urban river system.

2025 Applied and Computational Engineering
Article Tier 2

Using machine learning to reveal drivers of soil microplastics and assess their stock: A national-scale study

Using machine learning on data from 621 sites across China, researchers identified nine key factors driving microplastic distribution in soil, including population density, plastic production, and agricultural practices. The study estimated that Chinese topsoil contains a substantial stock of microplastics, with concentrations varying widely by region. This large-scale analysis helps predict where microplastic contamination is worst, which is important for understanding human exposure through food grown in contaminated soil.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Predicting aqueous sorption of organic pollutants on microplastics with machine learning

Researchers developed machine learning models to predict how organic pollutants bind to microplastics in water, using data from 475 published experiments. The models outperformed traditional approaches by accounting for properties of both the microplastics and the pollutants simultaneously. The study provides a more universal tool for understanding how microplastics can transport and concentrate harmful chemicals in freshwater systems.

2023 Water Research 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, 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.

2018 Preprints.org 38 citations