Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

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.

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

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.

2025 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Impact of land cover on microplastics accumulation in freshwater sediments

Researchers tracked microplastic accumulation in freshwater sediments across sites with different land cover types, examining temporal trends to understand how land use affects plastic discharge into waterways. Land cover type was a significant predictor of sediment microplastic concentration, with urbanized and agricultural catchments showing higher accumulation.

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

Influence of drainage infrastructure and land use on microplastic contamination in urban watersheds

This field study compared how different types of urban stormwater infrastructure — surface drains versus piped outfalls — contribute to microplastic contamination in streams across two watersheds with contrasting land uses (agricultural/forested versus residential/commercial). Microplastic concentrations and types differed between drainage types and land uses, with developed areas contributing more plastic particles overall. The findings point to stormwater infrastructure design as a lever for reducing the flow of microplastics from cities into freshwater ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial and temporal variations of microplastic concentrations in Portland's freshwater ecosystems

Microplastic concentrations were monitored across Portland's urban freshwater ecosystems, revealing that land use, stormwater inputs, and seasonal variation all influenced plastic levels in rivers and streams. The study found that urban catchments with higher impervious surfaces consistently showed elevated microplastic concentrations.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in streams spanning an urbanisation gradient

Researchers sampled microplastics in small streams across an urbanization gradient and found contamination at all sites, with concentrations comparable to those in larger rivers and lakes. Fragments and small particles between 63 and 500 micrometers were the most common forms detected. Surprisingly, catchment-scale factors like population density and stormwater overflows did not predict microplastic levels well, suggesting that local-scale sources may be more important for pollution in small streams.

2019 Environmental Pollution 218 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic dynamics at the outlet of a peri-urban catchment over a year of sampling: Effects of hydrological conditions, including an extreme flood event

Researchers monitored microplastic dynamics at the outlet of a peri-urban catchment over one year, examining how hydrological conditions including an extreme flood event influenced MP concentrations and fluxes. The study found that hydrological variability, particularly high-flow events, significantly affected microplastic transport patterns from the catchment.

2025 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Dynamics of microplastics in urban rivers under varying hydrological regimes

Monitoring of urban rivers showed that microplastic concentrations fluctuate significantly with varying hydrological conditions such as storm events and seasonal flow changes. Understanding these dynamics is essential for accurately characterizing the river microplastic load and its variability over time.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Land Use Pattern Affects Microplastic Concentrations in Stormwater Drains in Urban Catchments in Perth, Western Australia

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in stormwater drains across six Perth and Peel catchments with contrasting land uses, finding mean concentrations of 14.2 microplastics per liter with fibrous forms dominant, and demonstrating that catchment land use pattern significantly influences microplastic loading to stormwater systems that transport particles from terrestrial to coastal environments.

2022 Land 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial and temporal variability in in-stream microplastic loads can impact downstream plastic export

This study demonstrated that microplastic loads in streams show significant spatial and temporal variability driven by storm events and seasonal patterns, and that these dynamics can strongly influence the total plastic export from river systems to downstream waters.

2024
Article Tier 2

Microplastic dynamics along an extreme flood event in a peri-urban stream

Researchers monitored microplastic dynamics in a peri-urban stream at high temporal resolution during an extreme flood event, finding that MP concentrations and fluxes varied dramatically throughout the event in ways not captured by pre- and post-event sampling alone.

2025
Article Tier 2

High frequency sampling during a storm hydrograph offers insights into the possible transport and source activation dynamics of microplastics within a peri urban stream.

High-frequency sampling during a storm hydrograph in a peri-urban stream revealed that microplastic concentrations spike dramatically during peak flow, indicating that storm events are key drivers of microplastic mobilization and transport to downstream water bodies.

2024 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

Microplastics in Urban Watersheds, Southern California, USA

This study characterized microplastic transport in urban watersheds of Southern California across a range of storm and dry weather flow conditions. Microplastic concentrations were highest during initial storm events as accumulated plastics were flushed from urban surfaces. The findings highlight stormwater runoff from urban areas as a major driver of microplastic transport to the marine environment.

2023
Article Tier 2

The urban microplastic footprint: investigating the distribution and transport

Researchers investigated the distribution and transport of microplastics within an urban environment, mapping the 'urban microplastic footprint' to understand how city infrastructure and land use patterns drive the spatial distribution and downstream export of plastic particles to receiving water bodies.

2025
Article Tier 2

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.

2014 PLoS ONE 287 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution differences in freshwater river according to stream order: Insights from spatial distribution, annual load, and ecological assessment

Researchers compared microplastic pollution levels in a freshwater river across different land-use zones, finding higher concentrations near urban and agricultural areas than in forested regions. Fiber-type microplastics were predominant across all sampling locations.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Model-based analysis of erosion-induced microplastic delivery from arable land to the stream network of a mesoscale catchment

Researchers applied a model-based analysis to quantify how erosion transports microplastics from agricultural land to the stream network of a mesoscale catchment, finding that surface runoff and soil erosion are significant pathways for microplastic delivery to inland waters.

2024 SOIL 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic fluxes among environmental compartments in an urban watershed

Researchers characterised microplastic sourcing and transport across atmosphere, water, sediment, and biota in the Deer Creek urban watershed near St. Louis, Missouri, sampling monthly at 10 sites over a full year and capturing flood events and weekly atmospheric deposition. Results showed that at baseflow, approximately 80% of microplastics were retained within the watershed, with floods representing major mobilisation events.

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

Anthropogenic particle concentrations and fluxes in an urban river are temporally variable and impacted by storm events

Researchers measured anthropogenic particle concentrations and deposition fluxes in an urban river over time, finding that particle loads were strongly driven by storm events rather than baseline flow conditions. During storm events, particle concentrations increased by an order of magnitude, identifying stormwater runoff as the dominant pathway delivering anthropogenic particles including microplastics to urban rivers.

2024 Water Environment Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The influence of flow on the amount, retention and loss of plastic pollution in an urban river

Researchers sampled both microplastics and macroplastics at four sites along an urban river in Ontario, Canada during normal flow and storm conditions. The study found that storm events significantly influence plastic transport dynamics, with flow conditions affecting how much plastic pollution is retained in or flushed through urban river systems toward downstream water bodies.

2025 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences 5 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastics accumulated in sediments of stormwater detention basins, in relation to the land use patterns in the contributing catchment.

Microplastics in stormwater detention basin sediments were characterized and linked to surrounding land use, with roads and residential areas contributing the highest concentrations and most diverse plastic types.

2023