Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The seasonal variation and ecological risk of microplastics in the Lower Ganges River, Bangladesh

Researchers characterized seasonal variation in microplastic abundance and polymer composition in the lower Ganges River, finding that monsoon flows dramatically increase microplastic loads and that dry season concentrations reflect local urban pollution.

2024 Water Environment Research 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources and Factors Influencing Microplastic Concentration during Monsoon Season in Ganga River, Bihar, India

Researchers investigated sources and factors influencing microplastic concentrations in the Ganga River in Bihar, India during the monsoon season, examining how untreated residential and industrial waste discharge and traffic-related runoff affect plastic particle loads in one of the world's most biodiverse river systems. The study found elevated microplastic concentrations during monsoon flows, with urbanization and inadequate waste management identified as key drivers of microplastic inputs to the river.

2024
Article Tier 2

The abundance and characteristics of microplastics in surface water in the transboundary Ganges River

Researchers conducted the first investigation of microplastic abundance along a 2,575-kilometer stretch of the Ganges River across pre- and post-monsoon seasons. The study found that fibers comprised 91% of microplastics, with higher concentrations before the monsoon, and estimates that the combined Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system could release 1 to 3 billion microplastic particles into the Bay of Bengal every day.

2021 Environmental Pollution 383 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics assessment in the lower stretch of the Ganga River sediment from East Indian region: Influence of land use and rainfall patterns

This study investigated microplastic pollution in sediments along the lower Ganga River in East India, finding that land use type and seasonal rainfall patterns significantly influence the abundance and distribution of microplastics across different stretches of the river.

2025 Chemosphere 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources and factors influencing microplastic concentration during monsoon season in the Ganga River, Bihar, India

Researchers investigated sources and factors influencing microplastic concentrations in the Ganga River during monsoon season, finding that untreated residential and industrial waste from major Indian cities contributes significantly to contamination of one of the world's most biodiverse rivers.

2025 Discover Environment
Article Tier 2

Seasonal Dynamics of Microplastic Pollution in the River Ganga: A Case Study from Bihar

Researchers sampled microplastics at three locations along the Ganga River in Bihar, India, comparing concentrations before and after the monsoon season. Pre-monsoon levels averaged 1,045 particles per sample versus 624 post-monsoon, with higher dry-season concentrations attributed to reduced river flow and concentrated human activity near the riverbanks.

2025 International Journal of Plant and Environment
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

Distribution of microplastics in shoreline water and sediment of the Ganges River Basin to Meghna Estuary in Bangladesh

Researchers measured microplastic contamination along the Ganges River from the India-Bangladesh border to the Meghna Estuary in Bangladesh. They found microplastics at every sampling point, with higher concentrations downstream, indicating pollution accumulates as the river flows through populated areas. The overall pollution level was rated higher than other studies in Bangladesh, raising concerns for the millions of people who depend on this water.

2023 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 66 citations
Article Tier 2

The distribution and characterisation of microplastics in air, surface water and sediment within a major river system

Researchers conducted the first simultaneous comparison of microplastic pollution in air, water, and river sediment along the entire length of the Ganges River system. They found microplastics present in all three environmental compartments, with the highest concentrations in sediment, suggesting rivers act as long-term sinks. The study provides important baseline data for understanding how microplastics move through major river systems from source to sea.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 75 citations
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

Microplastics pollution in inland aquatic ecosystems of India with a global perspective on sources, composition, and spatial distribution

Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination in India's rivers, lakes, and wetlands, finding widespread pollution across water, sediment, and wildlife, with concentrations peaking during monsoon season due to runoff. The review highlights a critical gap: most studies don't account for how water flow and seasonal variation affect where microplastics go, making it hard to gauge the true health risk to people and ecosystems.

2024 Journal of Hydrology Regional Studies 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal trends and characteristics of microplastic contamination in a large river-dominated estuary

Researchers characterized spatiotemporal trends in microplastic contamination in the Karnaphuli River estuary in Bangladesh, finding significant correlations between microplastic abundance and water quality parameters across upstream, midstream, and downstream sites.

2023 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics abundance in major tributaries and distributaries of the river Ganga at lower estuarine stretch

Researchers investigated microplastic prevalence and characteristics in eight major tributaries and distributaries of the Ganga River at its lower estuarine stretch, India, analysing water and sediment samples by polymer type, shape, and color. Highly urbanised and industrialised waterways including Adi Ganga and Jalangi showed the highest contamination (up to 97.66 items/L in water), with PET dominant in water and polystyrene in sediment, and annual MP flux from the Damodar River estimated at significant quantities.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater Environments – With Special Focus on the Indian Scenario

This review examines microplastic pollution in freshwater environments globally with a focus on the Indian context, finding that despite India being one of the world's largest contributors to marine plastic pollution, freshwater microplastic research in India remains almost entirely absent, and calling for systematic river catchment monitoring to quantify land-to-ocean plastic fluxes.

2022
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in surface water from a mighty subtropical estuary: First observations on occurrence, characterization, and contamination assessment

Researchers documented the first observations of microplastic contamination in surface waters of the Meghna estuary in Bangladesh, finding widespread pollution that poses risks to this ecologically and economically critical subtropical ecosystem.

2023 Environmental Research 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the seasonal variation, distribution, composition and dynamics of microplastics in the Ganga River ecosystem of Varanasi City, Uttar Pradesh, India

Researchers measured microplastic pollution in the Ganga River in Varanasi, India, and found contamination in both water and sediment samples across all seasons. Concentrations were higher after the monsoon season, with common plastics like polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, and PVC dominating the samples. Since the Ganga is used for drinking water, bathing, and agriculture by millions of people, this contamination raises direct concerns about human exposure to microplastics.

2024 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental fate of microplastics in an urban river: Spatial distribution and seasonal variation

Researchers investigated microplastic distribution along an urban river in Guangzhou, China, finding that abundance increased from upstream to midstream and decreased toward the estuary, with seasonal variation linked to rainfall and human activity patterns.

2023 Environmental Pollution 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in upper Himalayan Ganga river: Occurrence, seasonal dynamics and ecological risk

Researchers quantified microplastics at 19 sites across the upper Himalayan Ganga River over six months, finding concentrations of 100–1,550 particles per liter in water and rising contamination levels downstream toward densely populated cities, with fibers, polyethylene, and post-monsoon conditions dominating the pollution profile.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Flood-induced variation and source apportionment of microplastics in Jia Bharali River of mid-Brahmaputra Valley, India

A study of the Jia Bharali River in India found that post-flood microplastic concentrations were highest (27.94 MPs/L in surface water), with fibers dominating before floods and fragments after, indicating floods significantly redistribute microplastics in freshwater systems.

2024 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and flux assessment of microplastic debris in the middle and lower Chao Phraya River, Thailand

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations throughout Thailand's largest river, the Chao Phraya, finding plastic particles at every sampling station across all seasons, with sediment concentrations up to 546 particles per kilogram dry weight. Fiber was the most common form, and contamination peaked during monsoon season when rainfall flushes more plastic into the river. The study estimates the river's flux of microplastics toward the Gulf of Thailand, providing a baseline for understanding how major Asian rivers transport land-based plastic pollution to the ocean.

2023 Journal of Water and Health 10 citations
Article Tier 2

How flooding rivers deliver plastic to the ocean: A case study of microplastic and mesoplastic load–discharge relationships

A field study tracked how a flooding river delivered plastic debris to the ocean, mapping the rapid transport of macroplastics and microplastics during a high-flow event. The research shows that floods are major episodic drivers of plastic export from land to sea, contributing disproportionately to ocean plastic budgets.

2025 Water Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial and seasonal variation of microplastics and possible sources in the estuarine system from central west coast of India

Researchers collected samples from an estuarine system on India's west coast across two seasons, finding significant spatial and seasonal variation in microplastic abundance — with monsoon season delivering higher loads — and identifying local fishing activities and urban runoff as primary sources.

2021 Environmental Pollution 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonal pulse effect of microplastics in the river catchment-From tributary catchment to mainstream

Researchers tracked seasonal variation in microplastic concentrations in the Liangfeng River catchment in China using fluorescence-based detection, finding seasonal pulses of microplastic contamination driven by rainfall and land use patterns, and documenting microplastic migration from tributary to mainstream.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 28 citations
Article Tier 2

The first report on the source-to-sink characterization of microplastic pollution from a riverine environment in tropical India

This first source-to-sink study of microplastic pollution in a tropical Indian river system tracked microplastics from urban sources through the river to estuarine and coastal deposition zones, characterizing polymer types and morphologies at each stage.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 334 citations