Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Eco-Asset Variations and Their Driving Factors in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China, under the Context of Global Change

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it analyzes ecological asset changes and their environmental drivers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using remote sensing data.

2023 Sustainability 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in surface water and sediments of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Current status and causes

A survey of microplastic pollution across rivers and lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau found surface water concentrations averaging 856 items/m³ and sediment concentrations averaging 362 items/m², with river sediments more contaminated than lake sediments and domestic wastewater and tourism identified as primary sources.

2021 China Geology 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in a Remote Lake Basin of the Tibetan Plateau: Impacts of Atmospheric Transport and Glacial Melting

Microplastics were found in a remote Tibetan Plateau lake basin and the researchers identified both long-range atmospheric transport and glacial meltwater as delivery pathways, with meltwater becoming an increasingly significant release mechanism as climate-driven glacier retreat accelerates.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 97 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination in lacustrine sediments in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Current status and transfer mechanisms

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in lacustrine sediments across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, finding abundances ranging from 17 to 2,644 items/kg dry weight and identifying atmospheric deposition and river transport as key transfer mechanisms to these remote high-altitude lakes.

2022 China Geology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of microplastics in benthic sediments of Qinghai Lake on the Tibetan Plateau, China

Researchers mapped the distribution of microplastics in the bottom sediments of Qinghai Lake on the Tibetan Plateau, sampling from shore to center. The study found microplastics throughout the lake sediments even in this remote, high-altitude location, with abundance patterns influenced by factors such as tourism activity and water currents rather than simply decreasing from shore to center.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in a remote lake basin of the Tibetan Plateau: Impacts of atmospheric transport and glacial melting

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in a remote Tibetan Plateau lake basin, finding that both atmospheric transport via rainfall and glacial melting contribute microplastics to this pristine environment, with concentrations increasing in glacial meltwater areas.

2022 112 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into the distribution, potential source and risk of microplastics in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the world's most remote regions, and found contamination in water, sediment, and soil samples. Water samples had the highest concentrations, averaging over 7,000 particles per cubic meter. The presence of microplastics even in this isolated high-altitude environment shows how far plastic pollution has spread globally.

2023 Environment International 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential ecological risk of microplastics contamination to environment in protect area lakes

Researchers studied microplastic contamination in protected area lakes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and found that even these remote, supposedly pristine environments contain microplastics. The study compared protected lakes with those outside protected areas and found contamination levels varied by region and economic development. This shows that microplastic pollution reaches even the most isolated freshwater sources, which could affect drinking water quality for surrounding communities.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid urban expansion and potential disaster risk on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in the 21st century

This study mapped rapid urban expansion on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from 2000 to 2020, finding a growth rate over 252%, much higher than national and global averages. While not directly about microplastics, rapid urbanization is a major driver of plastic pollution because it brings more packaging, construction materials, and waste to areas with limited infrastructure. The environmental fragility of this high-altitude region makes it particularly vulnerable to emerging pollutants like microplastics.

2024 Landscape Ecology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of microplastics in a remote region of the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for natural environmental response to human activities

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in a remote region of the Tibetan Plateau and found plastic particles in surface water, sediment, and soil even in this sparsely populated area. Tourism was identified as the primary source of water contamination, while agriculture and historical industrial activity contributed to soil pollution. The study demonstrates that microplastic pollution from human activities extends even to some of the most remote environments on Earth.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 304 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics intrude into the Tibetan Plateau

This conference abstract reports on microplastic contamination in glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau, showing that atmospheric deposition is carrying plastic particles to one of the world's most remote and high-altitude environments. Melting glaciers could release these stored microplastics into downstream freshwater systems.

2020 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau lakes, China

Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in lakes across two major Chinese plateaus and found contamination even in these remote, high-altitude environments. Lakes near more human activity (Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau) had significantly higher microplastic levels than the more remote Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with sewage, agriculture, and fishing being the main sources. The study shows that microplastic pollution reaches even supposedly pristine environments, largely through human activity and atmospheric transport.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Heterogenization of microplastic communities in lakes of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau driven by tourism and transport activities

Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in lakes across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and found that tourism and transportation activities were the primary drivers of contamination differences between sites. Lakes near tourist attractions had significantly higher and more diverse microplastic communities than remote lakes. The study demonstrates that human activity is introducing heterogeneous microplastic pollution even into high-altitude plateau ecosystems.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of lakeshore landcover types and environmental factors on microplastic distribution in lakes on the Inner Mongolia Plateau, China

This study measured microplastic contamination in lakes across the Inner Mongolia Plateau and found levels ranging from 0.5 to 12.6 particles per liter in water, with polypropylene being the most common type. Lakes near farmland and human activity had the highest contamination, showing that agriculture and tourism are major sources of microplastic pollution. The findings are relevant because these lakes serve as water sources for surrounding communities.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution of lakeshore sediments from remote lakes in Tibet plateau, China

Researchers sampled lakeshore sediments from remote lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, one of the least populated regions on Earth, and found microplastic contamination at every site. The most common plastics identified were polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, and polyethylene, likely transported by atmospheric processes from distant sources. The findings demonstrate that microplastic pollution has reached even the most isolated environments on the planet.

2016 Environmental Pollution 606 citations
Article Tier 2

Greening agriculture as a response to climate change: a case study from China over 2000–2021

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it assesses green agriculture development and carbon efficiency in China's Qinghai Province from 2000 to 2021 using economic and environmental modeling, with no connection to plastic pollution.

2024 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Multi-Scale Modeling of Plastic Waste Gasification: Opportunities and Challenges

Researchers quantified microplastic deposition in remote mountain lakes across the Tibetan Plateau, finding particles at all sites despite their distance from urban centers. Atmospheric transport from South and East Asian industrial regions was proposed as the primary input pathway.

2022 Materials 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Alpine ponds as overlooked hotspots of microplastic hazards: Evidence from the Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in alpine ponds on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau across zones of varying human activity, finding ubiquitous microplastic pollution (up to 594 items/L in water) that directly correlated with anthropogenic pressure, identifying high-altitude ponds as overlooked microplastic hotspots.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Soil contamination and carrying capacity across the Tibetan plateau using structural equation models

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it assesses soil contamination levels and soil environmental carrying capacity across the Tibetan Plateau, focusing on heavy metals and nutrient conditions.

2023 Environmental Pollution 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic convergence in high-altitude lakes of the Tibetan Plateau: Mechanisms, indicators, and risk stratification

Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in 14 high-altitude freshwater lakes above 4,500 meters on the Tibetan Plateau, a region far from major human activity. Microplastics were detected at every site, with PET as the dominant polymer type, suggesting long-range atmospheric transport and local textile sources. The study developed a geospatial risk model showing that precipitation, surface runoff, and proximity to roads are key factors driving microplastic accumulation even in these remote environments.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in glaciers of Tibetan Plateau: Characteristics and potential sources

Researchers found microplastics in glaciers across the Tibetan Plateau, one of the most remote regions on Earth, with an average of about 339 particles per liter of snow. The plastics likely traveled through the atmosphere from distant populated areas, showing that microplastic pollution is truly global. Since these glaciers feed major rivers that supply drinking water to billions of people in Asia, this contamination has direct implications for human health.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 11 citations
Article Tier 2

The occurrence and effect of altitude on microplastics distribution in agricultural soils of Qinghai Province, northwest China

Microplastic distribution was investigated in agricultural soils of Qinghai Province at different altitudes, finding that altitude influenced microplastic characteristics and abundance, with lower-altitude agricultural areas showing higher contamination from plastic film use.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 97 citations
Article Tier 2

[Distribution and Influencing Factors of Microplastics in Cultivated Soil in Northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau].

Researchers analysed 95 cultivated soil samples from the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau using density separation, metallographic microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, finding microplastic abundances ranging from 68 to 3,668 particles per kilogram in surface soils.

2025 PubMed
Article Tier 2

The influence of water conservancy project on microplastics distribution in river ecosystem: A case study of Lhasa River Basin in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Microplastic concentrations in the Lhasa River Basin decreased from upstream to downstream as reservoirs acted as sinks, with the barrier effect of dams increasing MP deposition in sediments and reducing surface water concentrations in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 7 citations