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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Critical reassessment of microplastic abundances in the marine environment
ClearCritical reassessment of microplastic detection methodologies and abundances in the marine environment
This review critically reassesses methodological limitations in marine microplastic detection, arguing that inconsistent size fractionation, incomplete polymer identification, and lack of standardized protocols across studies prevent reliable estimation of global MP abundance in the marine environment.
Estimating global marine surface microplastic abundance: systematic literature review
Researchers conducted a systematic literature review to estimate global marine surface microplastic abundance, compiling data from studies worldwide to produce abundance maps. The study found significant variation in microplastic concentrations across different ocean regions, providing a broader picture of the scale and distribution of marine microplastic pollution.
Are We Underestimating Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments?
This review argues that current microplastic monitoring methods likely underestimate the true extent of contamination in aquatic environments, especially for small particles and fibers. The authors call for standardized, more sensitive detection methods to better inform regulation and risk assessment.
Marine environment microfiber contamination: Global patterns and the diversity of microparticle origins
Researchers collected 1,393 one-liter water grab samples globally and found a mean microparticle concentration of 11.8 particles per liter — roughly 1,000 times higher than model predictions — with 91% being microfibers, 57% synthetic, and highest densities in polar oceans, while also documenting underreported non-synthetic and semi-synthetic fibers from natural textile sources.
Are we underestimating microplastic abundance in the marine environment? A comparison of microplastic capture with nets of different mesh-size
By sampling marine water simultaneously with 333 µm and finer nets, researchers demonstrated that standard 333 µm sampling nets miss the majority of microplastics present, with finer nets capturing orders of magnitude more particles and revealing severe underestimation in existing abundance data.
A global inventory of small floating plastic debris
Researchers compiled a global inventory of small floating plastic debris from ocean surface sampling expeditions, estimating the total abundance and mass of floating microplastics and identifying the major oceanic accumulation zones.
Global mapping for the occurrence of all-sized microplastics in seafloor sediments
Researchers compiled global seafloor microplastic data from 155 marine sediment samples including detailed sampling metadata and abundance measurements for 20 microplastic categories, providing foundational data for understanding the distribution and uncertainty of microplastic contamination on the seafloor.
Current development and future challenges in microplastic detection techniques: A bibliometrics-based analysis and review
Researchers conducted a bibliometrics-based review of current microplastic detection techniques and their limitations. The study found that different environmental settings require different analytical methods and that current instrument limitations can lead to over- or underestimation of microplastic abundance, highlighting the need for continued development of more accurate detection technologies.
Distribution of microplastics in soil and freshwater environments: Global analysis and framework for transport modeling
Researchers analyzed microplastic concentrations reported across 196 studies from 49 countries and found that levels in soils, sediments, and surface water can vary by up to eight orders of magnitude. The study suggests that inland sources like urban stormwater carry concentrations up to 100 times higher than rivers transporting microplastics to coastal areas, and that only 20% of studies captured particles below 20 micrometers, meaning actual contamination may be significantly underestimated.
The importance of ensuring representative sample volumes in microplastic monitoring - A predictive methodology
Analysis of a global database of 1,603 marine and 208 freshwater microplastic observations found that sample volume strongly influences reported concentrations, and a predictive methodology was developed to ensure representative sampling and enable meaningful cross-study comparisons.
A comparison of sampling methods for seawater microplastics and a first report of the microplastic litter in coastal waters of Ascension and Falkland Islands
Microplastic concentrations measured by bottle grab sampling (filtered to 0.45 μm) were roughly 1,000-fold higher than estimates from net-based methods, demonstrating that commonly used plankton trawls dramatically underestimate microplastic abundance. The study also documents for the first time that microplastics are present in the waters around Ascension Island and the Falkland Islands, establishing contamination at remote South Atlantic locations.
Evidence of underestimation in microplastic research: A meta-analysis of recovery rate studies
Across 71 recovery rate studies, microplastic extraction methods recovered only about 86% of spiked particles on average, meaning environmental microplastic concentrations are likely underestimated by approximately 14%, with recovery rates lowest from fishmeal, water, and soil matrices (58-71%).
Are we underestimating floating microplastic pollution? A quantitative analysis of two sampling methodologies
A quantitative analysis of 67 microplastic studies compared bulk water sampling with trawl-based methods, finding substantial differences in reported concentrations depending on the technique used. The study warns that inconsistent sampling methodology leads to underestimates of microplastic pollution and hinders cross-study comparisons.
Ubiquity of microplastics in coastal seafloor sediments
Researchers applied a novel method to quantify microplastic concentrations in seafloor sediments from 42 coastal sites across southeastern Australia. They found microplastics in all samples at an average concentration of 3.4 particles per milliliter of sediment, predominantly as filaments. The study demonstrates that microplastic contamination of coastal seafloor sediments is ubiquitous and that hydrological and sediment properties influence deposition patterns.
The fate of plastic litter within estuarine compartments: An overview of current knowledge for the transboundary issue to guide future assessments
Researchers reviewed global knowledge on plastic fate within estuaries and found plastic concentrations reaching thousands of items per cubic meter in water and sediment, while identifying major methodological gaps — particularly that microfibers are consistently undersampled and that studies rarely account for ecological trophic gradients or the physicochemical dynamics driving plastic distribution and bioavailability.
Toward a long-term monitoring program for seawater plastic pollution in the north Pacific Ocean: Review and global comparison
This review compared marine plastic monitoring methods and contamination levels across ocean basins, finding that the North Pacific showed the highest microplastic levels globally and that minimum sampling cut-off size is crucial for meaningful data comparison across studies.
The Current and Prospective State of Microplastic Contamination in the Marine Ecosystem
This review assesses the current state of microplastic contamination research in marine ecosystems, identifying strengths and gaps in published literature and recommending new focus areas including marine polymer degradation, advanced sampling methods, and the consequences of research-generated microplastic pollution.
The Hidden Microplastics: New Insights and Figures from the Thorough Separation and Characterization of Microplastics and of Their Degradation Byproducts in Coastal Sediments
Researchers applied thorough extraction and characterization methods to coastal sediment samples and found substantially more microplastics — including degradation byproducts not previously reported — than standard methods typically detect. The results suggest that conventional extraction protocols underestimate true microplastic contamination levels in marine sediments.
Microplastics and its Impacts on Marine Environment and Biotic Communities – A Global Perspective
This review synthesizes global microplastic research conducted across seven continents, documenting the physical and chemical characteristics of microplastics, their bioaccumulation in sediments and marine organisms, and comparing detection technologies used across different regions.
Coverage of microplastic data underreporting and progress toward standardization
This study synthesizes factors contributing to microplastic data underreporting, revealing that inconsistent extraction and analysis methods across studies lead to considerable underestimation of actual microplastic concentrations in the environment.
Microplastics in the Marine Environment: A Review of the Methods Used for Identification and Quantification
This review covered the methods used to identify and characterize microplastics in marine environmental samples, evaluating the strengths and limitations of visual, spectroscopic, and chemical approaches for field and laboratory analysis.
Assessing diversity, abundance, and mass of microplastics (~ 1–300 μm) in aquatic systems
Researchers developed improved methods for quantifying very small microplastic particles (roughly 1 to 300 micrometers) in freshwater systems, showing that conventional sampling dramatically underestimates plastic particle counts. Accurately measuring this smaller size fraction is critical for understanding real-world microplastic concentrations and their biological impacts.
Microplastics are overestimated due to poor quality control of reagents
This study demonstrated that inadequate quality control of chemical reagents used in microplastic analysis can introduce contamination that leads to systematic overestimation of microplastic concentrations in environmental samples, highlighting a critical methodological flaw in the field.
Microplastic and nanoplastic analysis methods, tests and reference materials
Researchers examined current microplastic analysis methods, reference tests, and reference materials, highlighting the limitations of manual counting approaches and evaluating alternatives to enable more scalable, consistent, and cost-effective monitoring of plastic litter accumulation in ocean environments.