Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in aquatic environments with special emphasis on riverine systems: Current understanding and way forward

This review examines microplastic pollution in freshwater riverine systems, which serve as a critical link between terrestrial and marine environments. Researchers found that rivers are significantly contaminated with microplastics of varying sizes and morphologies, and that these particles can exhibit variable toxicity to aquatic organisms, highlighting the need for more research on freshwater microplastic impacts.

2021 Journal of Environmental Management 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in riverine ecosystems: threats posed on macroinvertebrates

This review examined microplastic abundance, distribution, and impacts on macroinvertebrates across riverine ecosystems globally, finding that ingestion of microplastics can physically harm and inhibit growth, reproduction, and feeding in riverine invertebrates, with fibres and fragments being the most common forms.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Critical Review of Sources, Transport Mechanisms and Ecotoxicological Risks

This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution in rivers, oceans, and other aquatic environments, covering where these particles come from, how they move through water systems, and the harm they can cause. Evidence indicates that microplastics accumulate toxins and disrupt growth, feeding, and reproduction in aquatic species, with potential consequences for human health through seafood and drinking water. The authors stress the need for better global monitoring, stronger waste management systems, and development of eco-friendly plastic alternatives.

2025 Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Impact of Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Review of Current Research and Future Directions

This review examines microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, covering chemical, biological, and ecological processes beyond simple physical contamination and identifying priority areas for future research directions.

2025 Indus journal of bioscience research.
Article Tier 2

Micro-plastics in Aquatic Environment: Source, Fate, Emerging Threats, and Regulatory Effort

This review covers sources, distribution, and threats of microplastics in aquatic environments, tracing their movement through rivers, estuaries, lakes, and oceans and their accumulation in sediments and the food chain. The paper also reviews emerging policy frameworks aimed at reducing plastic pollution, providing a broad overview of the microplastic problem in water systems.

2023 International Journal of Environment and Climate Change 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic contamination, an emerging threat to the freshwater environment: a systematic review

Researchers systematically reviewed the spread of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems — rivers, lakes, and streams — documenting their sources, how they move through water, the damage they cause to aquatic organisms, and the methods used to detect them. Their review serves as a baseline reference for future research and calls for improved waste management to protect freshwater environments from ongoing microplastic contamination.

2024 ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the sediments of small-scale Japanese rivers: Abundance and distribution, characterization, sources-to-sink, and ecological risks

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution in sediments of four small-scale Japanese rivers, finding widespread contamination and identifying polymer types and potential sources, highlighting that even small river systems serve as microplastic transport pathways.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic debris in rivers

This review synthesizes current knowledge on plastic debris in rivers, covering sources, transport mechanisms, ecological impacts, and the role of rivers in delivering plastic to the oceans. The authors highlight key knowledge gaps and emphasize that riverine ecosystems are directly harmed by plastic pollution, not merely transit corridors.

2019 Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water 467 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in aquatic environments: a growing, unresolved concern

This review examines the origins, behavior, fate, and ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments. It synthesizes current research showing that microplastics are ubiquitous in rivers, lakes, and oceans, where they harm organisms and accumulate in food webs, raising ongoing concerns about ecosystem health and food safety.

2023 Chemistry of the Total Environment 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro Plastic Pollution in Freshwater Ecosystems: Sources, Fate and Effects

This review addresses microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems, examining sources including synthetic textile washing microfibers and cosmetic microbeads, and the secondary fragmentation of larger plastic debris. The authors assess the fate of particles in rivers and lakes, their effects on aquatic organisms, and the adequacy of current management approaches.

2024 Aquatic Ecosystems and Environmental Frontiers
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystems: Challenges and Perspectives

A comprehensive review covered the challenges and future directions for addressing microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems, synthesizing knowledge on sources, fate, ecological impacts, and removal strategies. The paper provides a roadmap for research and policy priorities to reduce aquatic microplastic contamination.

2025 Environments 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic: A Silent Contaminant in Aquatic Ecosystems and Its Ecological Consequences

This review examines microplastics as a pervasive but underappreciated contaminant in aquatic ecosystems, synthesizing evidence on their sources, distribution, uptake pathways in aquatic organisms, and broader ecological consequences for freshwater and marine food webs.

2025 International Journal of Science Architecture Technology and Environment
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and characterization of microplastic content in the digestive system of riverine fishes

Researchers found microplastics in 93.8% of riverine fish examined, with polystyrene, polyethylene, and nylon being the most common polymer types concentrated near urban and industrial areas, and small particles (0.025-1 mm) predominating across species.

2021 Journal of Environmental Management 32 citations
Review Tier 2

Grasping the supremacy of microplastic in the environment to understand its implications and eradication: a review

This review comprehensively examines microplastic sources, fate, and ecological impacts on living organisms, including an analysis of microplastics in Indian rivers, and evaluates current eradication strategies while recommending green innovative technologies for a microplastic-free environment.

2023 Journal of Materials Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplásticos en ecosistemas acuáticos: una revisión sobre su impacto y gestión

This literature review analyzes the ecological impact of microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems and available management strategies. Researchers found that microplastics affect aquatic organisms through ingestion and bioaccumulation, altering physiological functions and acting as vectors for toxic pollutants and pathogens. While filtration technologies, bioremediation, and regulatory measures have been developed, their effectiveness remains limited and a comprehensive approach combining prevention, mitigation, and stricter policies is needed.

2025 Innova Science Journal 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of environmental factors influencing the transport dynamics of microplastics in riverine systems: implications for ecological studies

This review examines how environmental factors like river flow, channel shape, vegetation, and sediment influence where microplastics accumulate and how they travel through river systems. The authors found that microplastic transport is far more complex than previously assumed, with particles behaving differently based on their size, shape, and density. Understanding these dynamics is essential for predicting where microplastics end up and designing effective cleanup strategies.

2023 Aquatic Ecology 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring bioaccumulation patterns and ecological risks of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems

This review comprehensively examined microplastic bioaccumulation and ecological risk in aquatic ecosystems, covering sources, environmental pathways, and the risks microplastics pose to organisms across trophic levels in rivers, lakes, and marine environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

This overview examines the emerging problem of microplastic contamination in freshwater environments, covering sources, occurrence, and potential effects on aquatic ecosystems. The authors discuss how microplastics enter lakes and rivers through wastewater treatment plants, runoff, and degradation of larger plastic debris. The review highlights that freshwater microplastic pollution deserves the same research attention as marine contamination, given that rivers serve as major transport pathways for plastics reaching the ocean.

2017 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 384 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport processes of microplastic particles in the fluvial environment : erosion, transport and deposition

This thesis examines how microplastics are eroded, transported, and deposited in river systems, tracing their movement from land sources to the ocean. The research fills an important gap in understanding how rivers act as conduits for microplastic pollution and what processes determine where plastic particles accumulate in freshwater environments.

2020 RWTH Publications (RWTH Aachen) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in river water: occurrence, weathering, and adsorption behaviour

Researchers examined microplastics in river water, characterizing their occurrence, degree of weathering, and capacity to adsorb co-contaminants. The study highlights microplastics as vectors that can transport and re-release other pollutants in freshwater systems.

2025 Environmental Science Water Research & Technology
Article Tier 2

Riverine microplastics and their interaction with freshwater fish

This paper reviews how microplastics enter river systems, how they move through waterways, and the risks they pose to freshwater fish. Researchers found that fish ingest microplastics that can accumulate in organs and carry toxic chemicals absorbed from the water. The review highlights that river fish, an important food source for many communities, face growing exposure to microplastics from urban runoff, wastewater, and agricultural sources.

2023 Water Biology and Security 39 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics as contaminants in freshwater environments: A multidisciplinary review

This multidisciplinary review covers microplastic sources, abundance, composition, transport, and biological effects in freshwater systems globally, arguing that freshwater environments are both major conduits and sinks for microplastic pollution.

2020 Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment, characterization, and quantification of microplastics from river sediments

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in sediments from 14 sites along the Kaveri River in South India, characterizing particle types, sizes, and polymer compositions to quantify the extent of microplastic pollution in this freshwater system.

2022 Chemosphere 86 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Pollution: An Intending Threat for Aquatic Ecosystem Sustenance

This review summarizes sources, distribution, and ecological impacts of microplastics in aquatic environments, highlighting how ingestion by fish and shellfish and associated chemical toxicity pose growing threats to aquatic ecosystem health.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources