Papers

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Article Tier 2

The hydro-fluctuation belt of the Three Gorges Reservoir: Source or sink of microplastics in the water?

The water-level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China was found to be both a source and sink for microplastics depending on season, with high concentrations of plastic particles in the sediment. This large reservoir acts as an accumulation point for microplastics from upstream rivers.

2019 Environmental Pollution 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence Patterns and Pollution Risk of Microplastics in Surface Sediments and Sediment Cores of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Researchers examined the occurrence, distribution, and pollution risk of microplastics in surface sediments and sediment cores of China's Three Gorges Reservoir across different water seasons. The study found distinct seasonal patterns in microplastic abundance and composition in both surface sediments and vertical core profiles, confirming the reservoir acts as a significant sink for microplastic contamination.

2025 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in surface waters and sediments of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Researchers sampled surface waters and sediments of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China and found microplastic contamination throughout, with concentrations influenced by water flow dynamics and proximity to human settlements.

2017 The Science of The Total Environment 896 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Characteristics of Microplastic Pollution in Xiangxi Bay of Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Researchers surveyed Xiangxi Bay in the Three Gorges Reservoir and characterized microplastic occurrence and distribution, finding contamination throughout the bay with patterns influenced by local water circulation and sediment dynamics.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology 550 citations
Article Tier 2

Turbulence-sediment synergy controls buoyant microplastic settling in the three gorges reservoir

Laboratory experiments showed that turbulence and sediment concentration interact synergistically to control the settling and resuspension of buoyant microplastics in water. Understanding these coupled dynamics is essential for modeling microplastic transport and deposition in rivers and coastal zones.

2025 Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Horizontal and vertical distribution of microplastics in dam reservoir after impoundment

Microplastic distribution was mapped both horizontally and vertically in a Chinese reservoir after impoundment, revealing that plastics were not uniformly distributed but concentrated in specific depth layers and spatial zones influenced by water flow and stratification. The study provides insight into how dam reservoirs trap and accumulate microplastics from river inputs.

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

Influence of catastrophic flood on microplastics organization in surface water of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Microplastic distribution in the Three Gorges Reservoir was analyzed before and after a catastrophic 2020 flood, finding that the flood altered microplastic organization, stability, and polymer composition throughout the reservoir, with implications for microplastic transport to the global ocean.

2021 Water Research 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Substantial burial of terrestrial microplastics in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Researchers found substantial burial of terrestrial microplastics in Three Gorges Reservoir sediments, suggesting that large hydropower dams act as significant traps that intercept microplastic transport from rivers to the ocean, with implications for the Yangtze River's plastic output.

2023 Communications Earth & Environment 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal pollution and surface characteristics of microplastics in surface water in the Wanzhou section of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Microplastic pollution in the Wanzhou section of China's Three Gorges Reservoir was highest in backwater areas and during flood periods, when average abundance reached 5.27 x 10^3 items per km, with white foamed polystyrene contributing 32-81% of total particles.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the Yulin River, China: Role of environmental and spatial factors

Microplastic pollution in the Yulin River in China was highest in tributary bays and declined downstream, with anthropogenic activity being a strong predictor of abundance. The backwater effect of the nearby Three Gorges Reservoir increased microplastic concentrations at the river's estuary, showing how reservoir management shapes plastic distribution.

2020 Environmental Pollution 140 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal disparities in vertical distributions of microplastics and driving factors in a deep reservoir

Researchers studied microplastic distribution at different depths in a deep reservoir in southwest China and found that concentrations generally increased from the water surface to the bottom. The study revealed seasonal differences in vertical transport patterns, with low-density polymers like polyethylene dominating surface waters while denser particles accumulated in deeper layers.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Modeling three-dimensional microplastic transport and sedimentation in lakes and reservoirs

Researchers used 3D hydrodynamic modeling to simulate microplastic transport, residence time, and sedimentation patterns in lakes and reservoirs. The models showed that bathymetry and inlet-outlet flow patterns strongly control where microplastics accumulate on lake beds.

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

Aggregation characterization and mechanism of microplastics and suspended sand in the Three Gorges Reservoir

Researchers conducted large-scale flume experiments to characterize aggregation between PMMA and PS microplastics and suspended sediment from the Three Gorges Reservoir under shear flow conditions, finding that heteroaggregation produced larger floc sizes than sediment alone and that PMMA formed aggregates more readily than PS due to greater electron transfer and surface charge changes.

2025 Journal of Lake Sciences
Article Tier 2

The Three Gorges Dam alters the spatial distribution and flux of microplastics in the Yangtze River

Researchers mapped how the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River alters the distribution and flow of microplastic pollution. They found that the reservoir acts as a significant trap for microplastics, accumulating them in sediment and the fluctuation zone along its banks, while reducing the downstream flux. The study suggests that large dams fundamentally change how microplastic pollution moves through major river systems.

2025 Environmental Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical Differentiation of Microplastics Influenced by Thermal Stratification in a Deep Reservoir

Researchers investigated how thermal stratification affects the vertical distribution of microplastics in a deep reservoir. The study found for the first time that thermal stratification interfaces act as buffer areas that retard microplastic sinking, with a size-selection phenomenon where larger microplastics (over 300 micrometers) were particularly susceptible to accumulation at these density transition zones.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Catchment-wide flooding significantly altered microplastics organization in the hydro-fluctuation belt of the reservoir

Researchers investigated the effect of catchment-wide flooding on microplastic distribution in the hydro-fluctuation belt of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China, finding that flooding reduced local microplastic density from 7,633 to 4,875 particles per kilogram while transporting an estimated 5 times 10 to the 11 microplastic items into the reservoir. Approximately 15.8% by weight of the plastic flux that the Yangtze River delivers to the ocean was attributed to this single flooding event.

2022 iScience 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation of floating microplastics behind the Three Gorges Dam

Researchers collected trawl samples from the Three Gorges Reservoir on the Yangtze River and found extraordinarily high microplastic concentrations — up to 13.6 billion particles per square kilometer — accumulating behind the dam. The dam appears to act as a massive trap for floating plastic, preventing downstream transport and concentrating pollution to extreme levels.

2015 Environmental Pollution 517 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal and vertical distribution characteristics and ecological risks of microplastics in typical shallow lakes in northern China

Researchers studied how microplastics are distributed across water, the viscous sublayer, and sediment layers in Baiyangdian, a shallow lake in northern China, during both wet and dry seasons. They found that microplastic abundance was highest in residential areas and that the vertical distribution pattern reversed between seasons. The study highlights that seasonal water level changes significantly affect where microplastics accumulate in shallow lake ecosystems.

2025 Environmental Pollution 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of cascade dams on the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in surface sediments of Wujiang river basin, Southwestern China

Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution in sediments of the Wujiang River basin in southwest China, finding that cascade dams trap and accumulate microplastics in reservoir sediments, with dam density and upstream land use significantly influencing local microplastic abundance and composition.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in wild fish in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China: A detailed investigation of their occurrence, characteristics, biomagnification and risk

Researchers examined 18 species of wild fish in China's Three Gorges Reservoir and found microplastics in every species, with an average of about 7 particles per fish. The microplastics showed signs of aging and weathering, and the study found evidence of biomagnification -- meaning predator fish accumulated more microplastics than their prey, which is relevant to human health since many of these species are consumed as food.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, stability and source identification of small size microplastics in the Jiayan reservoir, China

Microplastics across a full size range were found in a Chinese reservoir, with small-sized particles (less than 300 micrometers) dominating and showing seasonal variation linked to rainfall and runoff, highlighting reservoirs as underappreciated sinks and sources of fine microplastic pollution.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 50 citations
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
Article Tier 2

Uniqueness and Dependence of Bacterial Communities on Microplastics: Comparison with Water, Sediment, and Soil

Researchers compared bacterial communities on microplastics with those in water, sediment, and soil in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, finding that microplastic-associated communities are unique in composition and ecological function compared to surrounding environments.

2021 Microbial Ecology 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of underwater topography on the distribution of microplastics in lakes: A case from Dianchi Lake, China

Researchers investigated how underwater topography affects microplastic distribution in Dianchi Lake, China, finding that water depth, slope gradient, roughness, and surface curvature significantly influenced distribution in the northern lake section where currents are weaker. Roughness was the only topographic factor consistently associated with microplastic distribution across both northern and southern lake sections.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations