Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Hydrodynamic driven microplastics in Dongting Lake, China: Quantification of the flux and transportation

Researchers developed a framework combining field monitoring with numerical simulation to quantify microplastic transport in Dongting Lake, a large freshwater lake in China. They estimated that roughly 199 trillion microplastic items entered and 129 trillion exited the lake in 2021, and identified four key accumulation zones overlapping with nature reserves and agricultural areas. The study suggests that these accumulation patterns pose considerable risks to both ecological biodiversity and food security.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Refining the Aquatic Microplastic Risk Assessment Framework through Dynamic Flux Simulation and Ecological Thresholds

Researchers developed a coupled hydrological-transport model and species-sensitivity-based risk framework for riverine microplastics, applying it to the Jinsha River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and finding that spatially adjusting ecological risk thresholds based on local species richness places 13–43% of the watershed at medium-to-high microplastic risk.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Spatial–Temporal and Risk Assessment of Microplastics in the Surface Water of the Qinhuai River during Different Rainfall Seasons in Nanjing City, China

Researchers conducted a spatial-temporal analysis of microplastic contamination and risk in a river system across multiple seasons and sites, finding that concentrations varied significantly with location and time of year. Urban and industrial zones showed the highest microplastic loads and associated ecological risk.

2024 Water 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulation of the dynamic processes of microplastic suspension and deposition in a lake sediment–water system

Researchers developed a simulation model of the dynamic suspension and settling processes of microplastics in water, accounting for turbulence, particle properties, and boundary conditions. The model improves predictions of microplastic vertical distribution and can support transport and fate assessments in aquatic environments.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

From particle tracking modelling to species impact forecasting: a framework for microplastic exposure risk quantification in the largest freshwater lake of China

Using a hydrodynamic model coupled with particle tracking, researchers simulated microplastic transport, distribution, and impact zones in Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake. The model revealed seasonal variation in MP accumulation hotspots driven by water level fluctuations, and predicted high-risk zones for aquatic organisms.

2025 Environmental Pollution
Article Tier 2

Phenomenological model of suspended sediment transport in a small catchment

This paper is not relevant to microplastics; it presents a hydrological model for suspended sediment transport in a small tropical river catchment in Guadeloupe.

2023 Earth Surface Dynamics 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Sensitivity of Microplastic Accumulation Zones in Rivers Using High-Performance Particle Transport Modelling

Researchers applied high-performance particle transport modelling to explore the sensitivity of microplastic accumulation zones in rivers, identifying key hydrodynamic factors that govern where microplastics concentrate. The modelling approach provides a tool for predicting hotspot areas of microplastic deposition in fluvial environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

A new holistic perspective to assess the ecological risk of microplastics: A case study in Baiyangdian Basin, China

Researchers developed a more comprehensive method for assessing the ecological risks of microplastic pollution by considering not just concentration but also the physical and chemical properties of the particles. Applied to a Chinese wetland basin, the approach revealed that traditional methods significantly underestimate the true ecological risk, with human activity and poor water flow contributing to the highest danger zones.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigating Microplastic Resuspension in Environmental flows: Experimental and Numerical Approaches

Researchers used combined experimental and numerical approaches to investigate the resuspension of microplastics from sediment beds in riverine flows, finding that turbulence intensity during high-flow events plays a key role in detaching MP particles embedded in multi-density granular sediment beds.

2025
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

Spatiotemporal Patterns, Characteristics, and Ecological Risk of Microplastics in the Surface Waters of Shijiu Lake (Nanjing, China)

Researchers surveyed surface waters of Shijiu Lake and its tributaries in Nanjing, China, during dry and rainy seasons, finding microplastic abundances of 17–31 items/L, with higher concentrations during the rainy season and small particles (38–75 μm) as the dominant fraction.

2025 Water
Article Tier 2

Seasonal and spatial variation, and land-use influences on riverine microplastics and their ecological risks in the Yanshui River Basin

Researchers conducted year-round, basin-wide monitoring of microplastics in the Yanshui River Basin across 14 sites spanning agricultural, industrial, and urban land uses, finding average concentrations of 235.1 items/L in surface water and 20,370 items/kg in sediment. Microplastic abundance peaked at upstream agricultural and downstream drainage sites, with sediment functioning as a major accumulation sink.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering
Article Tier 2

Bedload transport rates of microplastics on natural sediments under open channel flow: The role of exposure in acceleration

Researchers developed a new model for predicting how microplastics are transported as bedload in rivers, combining computational fluid dynamics with laboratory experiments. They found that exposed microplastics on the sediment surface move at higher transport rates than natural sediment particles of similar size, potentially spreading contamination over wider areas. The model provides a practical tool for engineers assessing how microplastic pollution disperses through waterway systems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of seasonal variation and resuspension on microplastics in river sediments

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in river sediments across multiple seasons and examined the role of resuspension events, finding that MP levels varied significantly by season and that high-flow events released previously deposited particles, redistributing contamination downstream.

2021 Environmental Pollution 214 citations
Article Tier 2

[Temporal and Spatial Distribution and Risk Assessment of Microplastics in Multiple Media of an Urban River].

Researchers collected water and sediment samples from the Guanzhong section of the Weihe River Basin during wet and dry seasons to characterize the temporal and spatial distribution and risk of microplastics in an urban river system. Using density flotation and multiple analytical methods, they systematically documented microplastic abundance, morphology, and polymer composition across multiple environmental media.

2025 PubMed
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

How the Yangtze River transports microplastic to the east China sea

Researchers used interpolation and input-output modeling to estimate how the Yangtze River transports microplastics seasonally from land to the East China Sea, finding that MP loads varied substantially by month with peak transport during high-flow periods. Tributary contributions and agricultural runoff were identified as major factors controlling MP flux to the estuary.

2022 Chemosphere 43 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effects of Flow Concentration on Water Microplastic Pollution in the Luoshijiang Sub-watershed of Erhai Lake Basin].

Researchers studied how variations in river flow concentration affect microplastic transport and distribution in the Luoshijian River, China, finding that higher flow events resuspend and redistribute MPs stored in sediments, increasing waterborne concentrations and downstream transport.

2025 PubMed
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

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

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

Researchers used the Delft3D Flexible Mesh Suite to model three-dimensional microplastic transport and sedimentation in lakes and reservoirs, quantifying how particle properties and lake hydrodynamics interact to determine exposure levels for aquatic organisms. The model revealed complex sedimentation patterns driven by density stratification and seasonal mixing dynamics.

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

Seasonal influence on pollution index and risk of multiple compositions of microplastics in an urban river

A seasonal study of microplastics in an urban river in China found higher abundance in the dry season (183 items per square meter) compared to the wet season (102 items per square meter). Risk assessment indicated that fibers and small fragments posed the greatest ecological risk, with polymer-specific hazard quotients varying by season.

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

Hydrodynamics of terrestrial nano- and microplastics: simulating seasonal retention and first-flush emissions

Scientists created a computer model to track how tiny plastic particles (smaller than a grain of rice) move through the environment when it rains and floods. They found that these microplastics build up on land during dry periods, then get washed into rivers and waterways in large amounts during the first big rainstorm - called a "first flush" effect. This research helps us better understand how plastic pollution spreads through our water systems, which is important since these tiny plastics can end up in our drinking water and food.

2026
Article Tier 2

The fate of microplastics in estuary: A quantitative simulation approach

Researchers applied quantitative numerical simulation to model microplastic transport and concentration distribution in the Yangtze Estuary, one of the world's largest plastic export pathways. The model used a mass-number method to estimate spatial distribution and risk levels of microplastics in February and May, revealing seasonal variation in transport patterns.

2022 Water Research 40 citations