Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Bacterioplankton Community Structure and Its Relationship with Environmental Factors in the Coastal Waters Around the Changli Gold Coast National Nature Reserve in Northern China

Researchers investigated bacterioplankton community structure in coastal waters around a Chinese nature reserve, finding significant seasonal variability in nutrients and identifying key environmental drivers—including nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon—of bacterial community composition.

2025 Water
Article Tier 2

Limited effects of microplastics on size-fractionated phytoplankton booming in estuarine system

Researchers studied microplastic levels in the Linhong Estuary and tested whether adding microplastics to natural phytoplankton communities affected their growth during bloom conditions. The study found that microplastics had limited effects on phytoplankton across different size classes, suggesting that during nutrient-rich bloom events, algal communities may be resilient to current levels of microplastic pollution.

2025 Marine Environmental Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Mesocosm experiments of temperate marine coastal waters: timing of changes in phytoplankton communities and attachment to plastic plates after nutrient addition

A mesocosm experiment examined how nutrient enrichment and plastic plates affect phytoplankton communities in temperate coastal seawater. The study found that nutrients altered phytoplankton composition within days, while plastic surfaces became colonized over weeks, revealing the separate timescales at which these pollutants affect marine life.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes of marine environments due to human activities in coastal waters of Korea.

A comprehensive review of four representative Korean bays documented how human activities—land reclamation, industrial development, and agricultural runoff—have altered marine environments, increased organic pollution, and changed biota communities. The review provided a regional baseline for understanding human-driven coastal degradation in Korea.

2025 Marine pollution bulletin
Article Tier 2

Phytoplankton characterization in a tropical tidal river impacted by a megacity: the case of the Saigon River (Southern Vietnam)

Scientists studied how phytoplankton communities vary seasonally and spatially in the Saigon River, Vietnam, finding that urban pollution from Ho Chi Minh City significantly shapes which species dominate. The study provides a baseline for tracking ecological change in a highly impacted tropical river.

2021 Research Square (Research Square) 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Water Quality Status, Nutrients, and Phytoplankton Communities in the Coastal Zone of East Aceh Regency, Indonesia

This study assessed seasonal water quality and phytoplankton communities along the East Aceh coast of Indonesia, examining nutrients and physical parameters. It is not about microplastics and is not relevant to microplastic research.

2023 Journal of Ecological Engineering 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Potential Threat of Microplastics to Zooplanktivores in the Surface Waters of the Southern Sea of Korea

Researchers assessed the potential threat of microplastics to zooplanktivorous organisms in southern Korean coastal waters by measuring the ratio of neustonic microplastics to zooplankton, finding that microplastic-to-zooplankton ratios reached levels where accidental ingestion of plastic instead of prey becomes ecologically significant. Ratios were notably higher after the rainy season, suggesting land-based runoff as a major input source.

2015 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 117 citations
Article Tier 2

The Relationship Between Microplastic Abundance and Plankton Type Diversity

Researchers collected water samples from Kwatisore and measured both microplastic concentrations and plankton species diversity to assess their relationship. Analysis revealed a negative correlation between MP abundance and plankton diversity, suggesting that higher microplastic contamination is associated with reduced plankton species richness and potential ecosystem instability.

2025 Journal of Tropical Diversity
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alter the functioning of marine microbial ecosystems

Researchers used experimental mesocosms to investigate how microplastics affect the structure and functioning of marine microbial ecosystems. They found that microplastics indirectly altered marine productivity by shifting the composition of bacterial and phytoplankton communities. The study provides evidence that microplastic pollution can disrupt fundamental ecological processes in ocean ecosystems beyond effects on individual organisms.

2024 Ecology and Evolution 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative microbial communities in tidal flats sediment on Incheon, South Korea

The microbial communities in tidal flat sediments in South Korea were characterized and found to be highly diverse, playing important roles in coastal nutrient cycling. Understanding natural microbial communities in coastal sediments provides context for assessing how microplastic-associated microorganisms alter these ecosystems.

2018 The Journal of General and Applied Microbiology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecology of mesozooplankton in a subtropical coastal lagoon: composition, spatial distribution and interactions with microplastic pollution

Researchers studied mesozooplankton ecology in a subtropical coastal lagoon, examining community composition, spatial distribution, and interactions with microplastic pollution to understand how plastic contamination affects zooplankton dynamics in coastal environments.

2025 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Abundance and Distribution Characteristics of Microplastics in Surface Seawaters of the Incheon/Kyeonggi Coastal Region

Researchers investigated microplastics in both the surface microlayer and subsurface waters of the Incheon/Kyeonggi coastal region of Korea, finding that microplastic concentrations were significantly higher in the surface microlayer than in bulk seawater. Fragment and fiber morphologies dominated, with the distribution patterns reflecting urban runoff and shipping activity as likely sources.

2015 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 173 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in Phytoplankton Communities Along the Northern Antarctic Peninsula: Causes, Impacts and Research Priorities

This review examined changes in phytoplankton communities along the Northern Antarctic Peninsula in the context of climate change, identifying key drivers and knowledge gaps. The authors argue that predicting future phytoplankton shifts requires robust collaboration across Antarctic research programmes under a common framework, with microplastic contamination among the stressors affecting community composition.

2020 Frontiers in Marine Science 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Landscape and Marine Environmental Factors Jointly Regulate the Intertidal Species Richness and Community Structure in the Islands of South Korea

Researchers found that both landscape features and marine environmental factors shape the species richness and community structure of intertidal organisms on Korean islands. Baseline biodiversity data from these ecosystems is relevant to understanding how microplastic accumulation in intertidal sediments affects coastal wildlife.

2023 Diversity 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution of microplastic in the surface waters along the coast of Korea

Scientists surveyed microplastics (0.33–5 mm) across six semi-enclosed bays and two open coastal waters in Korea during July surveys from 2015 to 2017, finding mean abundances of 1.12–4.74 particles per m2 with expanded polystyrene and paint particles as dominant types.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 77 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Microplastics on Aquatic Food Chain and Food Web Altering Phytoplankton Community Structure

This review examines how microplastics affect phytoplankton community structure and how these effects propagate through aquatic food chains and food webs, with implications for nutrient cycling and ecosystem services.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Main predictors of phytoplankton occurrence in lotic ecosystems

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it examines the environmental and landscape factors controlling phytoplankton community composition in a Brazilian micro-watershed over three years.

2024 Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Phytoplankton in headwater streams: spatiotemporal patterns and underlying mechanisms

Researchers compared phytoplankton communities in headwater streams to those in downstream plain rivers to understand patterns of algal diversity in less-impacted waterways. They found that headwater streams showed lower spatiotemporal variability in phytoplankton communities due to limited nutrients and strong water flow. The study reveals that these conditions actually promote greater phytoplankton diversity and provide new insights for ecological conservation of headwater ecosystems.

2023 Frontiers in Plant Science 7 citations
Article Tier 2

A close relationship between microplastic contamination and coastal area use pattern

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination across three coastal areas in Korea characterized by different human activities: urban, aquafarm, and rural. They found that microplastic abundance and polymer composition varied by area, with diverse polymers at urban sites, polystyrene dominant near aquaculture operations, and polypropylene prevalent at rural fishing sites. The study demonstrates a close relationship between coastal land use patterns and the characteristics of microplastic pollution in both abiotic and biotic samples.

2019 Water Research 242 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine neustonic microplastics around the southeastern coast of Korea

Researchers surveyed microplastic debris floating in coastal waters near the mouth of the Nakdong River in South Korea before and after the rainy season, finding that rainfall dramatically increased microplastic concentrations. The study identified rivers as major conduits for land-based plastic to reach the marine neustonic zone.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 232 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the distribution and influx of microplastics into the east sea of korea

Researchers assessed the distribution and characteristics of microplastics entering the East Sea of Korea at three southeastern stations in September 2022 and April 2023, collecting 100-to-200-liter seawater samples to estimate microplastic input levels and vertical distribution throughout the water column.

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

Baseline Study on Microplastic Distribution in the Open Surface Waters of the Korean Southwest Sea

Researchers collected surface seawater south of Jeju Island in South Korea and found an average microplastic abundance of 0.46 particles per liter, with polyethylene as the dominant polymer and fragments as the most common shape, establishing a baseline for this understudied ocean region.

2023 Water 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution, compositional characteristics, and historical pollution records of microplastics in tidal flats of South Korea

Researchers investigated spatial and vertical distributions of microplastics in tidal flat sediments along the west coast of South Korea, finding distinct patterns in abundance and polymer composition linked to proximity to urban centers and tidal hydrodynamics.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of Microplastics in Freshwater, Brackish Water, and Seawater Along the Lower Nakdong River

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in freshwater, brackish water, and seawater along the lower Nakdong River in South Korea, finding higher concentrations in seawater. The study documents how microplastics accumulate as river water transitions to the sea, contributing to understanding of how plastic pollution is distributed through coastal ecosystems.

2023 Journal of the Korean Society for Environmental Technology