Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Extended Strahler Ordering to Distinguish Mapped River Channels From Overland Flow Pathways and Consistently Compare Digital Networks

Researchers proposed an extension to standard Strahler stream ordering that assigns non-positive numbers to overland flow pathways, enabling digital river networks to consistently distinguish mapped river channels from overland flow segments. This methodological improvement supports more accurate river classification, simulation modeling, and policy-relevant freshwater analysis, including microplastic transport pathway mapping.

2025 River Research and Applications
Article Tier 2

Optimal Allocation of Water Resources Considering Virtual Water Trade: A Case Study of the Yellow River

This study optimizes water resource allocation across the Yellow River basin in China by integrating both physical and virtual water flows. The study is focused on water resource management and is not directly related to microplastic research.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Hydrological Connectivity Patterns and Their Eco-hydrological Implications in the Dasha River, China

This study used graph theory and isotope tracing with weekly eco-hydrological monitoring to assess hydrological connectivity and ecological impacts in the heavily modified Dasha River, Shenzhen, providing a methodological framework for urban river management.

2025 Applied Ecology and Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Methodology for the study of the traceability of runoff water feeding reservoirs

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper presents a GIS-based methodology for tracing the agricultural plots whose rainwater runoff feeds a reservoir, extending the D8 drainage algorithm with land-use and rainfall data to assess agrochemical contamination pathways.

2023 Journal of Hydroinformatics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Method for Water Environment Assessment considering Trends of Water Quality

Researchers developed a comprehensive water quality assessment method that accounts for both current pollution levels and trends over time, applying it to rivers feeding a major Chinese reservoir. Water quality assessment frameworks are increasingly being adapted to include microplastic contamination as a standard monitoring parameter.

2021 Advances in Civil Engineering 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in an urbanized river affected by water diversion: Combining with active biomonitoring

This study investigated microplastics in an urbanized river subject to water diversion in China, combining passive and active biomonitoring with water and sediment sampling to show that water management practices affect microplastic distribution patterns.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 83 citations
Article Tier 2

Uncertainty quantification of granular computing-neural network model for prediction of pollutant longitudinal dispersion coefficient in aquatic streams

Researchers developed an AI model combining granular computing and neural networks to better predict how pollutants spread through rivers, achieving highly accurate estimates of the longitudinal dispersion coefficient across a wide range of stream conditions. Improved predictions of pollutant mixing are critical for protecting water quality in natural waterways.

2022 Scientific Reports 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Tracing microplastic sources in urban water bodies combining their diversity, fragmentation and stability

Researchers developed a new approach to trace the sources of microplastics in Beijing's urban waterways by analyzing the diversity and fragmentation patterns of plastic particles. They found that rivers and lakes shared similar microplastic compositions, suggesting common pollution sources including road runoff and wastewater. The method offers a practical way for cities to identify where microplastic contamination originates and prioritize cleanup efforts.

2024 npj Clean Water 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Interventions of river network structures on urban aquatic microplastic footprint from a connectivity perspective

Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution in a typical urban river network in Nanjing, China, using multiple detection methods and the Renkonen similarity index to assess how river infrastructure structures such as dams and sluices influence microplastic spatial variability and footprint from a connectivity perspective.

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

Combining the multivariate statistics and dual stable isotopes methods for nitrogen source identification in coastal rivers of Hangzhou Bay, China

Researchers combined dual stable isotope analysis with statistical modeling to trace nitrogen pollution sources in two coastal rivers flowing into Hangzhou Bay, finding that soil runoff and domestic wastewater together contributed roughly two-thirds of total nitrogen, with aquaculture tailwater as the second-largest source.

2022 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Traceability of River Water Pollution Based on MFO and M-H Algorithms

This paper is not about microplastics. It describes a mathematical model for tracing the source of water pollution incidents using optimization algorithms. While water pollution tracing technology could theoretically be applied to tracking microplastic contamination sources, this study focuses on general pollutant migration modeling with no specific connection to microplastics or their health effects.

2024 Tehnicki vjesnik - Technical Gazette
Article Tier 2

Modeling the transport of microplastics along river networks

Researchers built a mathematical model to predict how microplastics travel through river networks, combining water flow dynamics with estimates of human plastic inputs. They tested the model against real-world data from three river systems worldwide and found it reliably predicted microplastic concentrations. The tool could help identify pollution hotspots and guide cleanup priorities across entire river basins.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Interventions of river network structures on urban aquatic microplastic footprint from a connectivity perspective

Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution across a Nanjing, China urban river network using multiple detection methods, finding ubiquitous and abundant microplastics with distinct hotspots and heterogeneous characteristics linked to how river infrastructure structures such as weirs and gates interrupt microplastic connectivity and flow.

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

Advancing hydrological monitoring using image-based techniques: challenges and opportunities

This paper is not about microplastics — it reviews image-based techniques (including remote sensing and computer vision) for hydrological monitoring of water bodies, discussing challenges and opportunities in measuring water flow, flood events, and water quality.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of Remote Sensing Technology in Ecological Engineering—A Case Study of Phase I Tao River Water Diversion Project

Researchers used remote sensing satellite imagery to monitor ecological restoration and erosion control during a large Chinese water diversion project. While focused on construction impacts, remote sensing methods are also being developed to detect and map microplastic pollution from satellite data.

2021 E3S Web of Conferences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of water management and its effect on microplastic transport and fate

Researchers examined how water management practices affect the transport and fate of microplastics in river networks, which serve as both conduits and sinks for plastic pollution. The study found that flow regulation and water management interventions significantly influence how far microplastics travel and where they accumulate.

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

Towards control strategies for microplastics in urban water

This paper applies substance flow analysis to map where microplastics enter, travel through, and accumulate in urban water systems to identify key control points. A systematic whole-system approach is needed because targeting individual sources in isolation has limited effect on overall pollution levels.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal Graph Convolutional Network for Riverine Microplastic Migration Pathway Identification and Pollution Source Tracing

Researchers developed a spatiotemporal graph convolutional network (ST-GCN) framework that integrates hydrological connectivity, flow parameters, and microplastic characteristics to simultaneously identify migration pathways and trace pollution sources in riverine ecosystems. The model outperformed conventional approaches by capturing the spatial heterogeneity and topological complexity of river systems.

2025 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Isotope hydrology and water sources in a heavily urbanized stream

Researchers used water stable isotope sampling across the heavily urbanized Panke catchment in Berlin to partition stream water sources, finding that the upper catchment is dominated by groundwater while lower sections reflect a more complex mixture of engineered and natural flow paths. The study demonstrates how isotope hydrology can disentangle hydrological sources in city streams with complex engineered infrastructure.

2021 Hydrological Processes 48 citations
Article Tier 2

High Spatiotemporal Model-Based Tracking and Environmental Risk-Exposure of Wastewater-Derived Pharmaceuticals across River Networks in Saxony, Germany

This is an environmental engineering study modeling how pharmaceuticals from wastewater treatment plants travel through river networks in Saxony, Germany; it is not a microplastics research paper.

2023 Water 2 citations
Article Tier 2

GLOBAL-FATE: A GIS-based model for assessing contaminantsfate in the global river network

A global computational model was developed to trace how pharmaceutical compounds consumed by people flow through rivers worldwide after passing through wastewater treatment. The model framework is adaptable to other contaminants, including microplastics, for global pollution mapping.

2019 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Interventions of river network structures on urban aquatic microplastic footprint from a connectivity perspective

Researchers analyzed how urban river network structures influence microplastic distribution in Nanjing, China, finding that river connectivity patterns significantly affect the spatial variability of microplastic footprints in urban waterways.

2023 Water Research 33 citations
Article Tier 2

The urban microplastic footprint: investigating the distribution and transport

Researchers investigated the distribution and transport of microplastics within an urban environment, mapping the 'urban microplastic footprint' to understand how city infrastructure and land use patterns drive the spatial distribution and downstream export of plastic particles to receiving water bodies.

2025
Article Tier 2

From headwaters to receiving waters: river dynamics in an increasingly urban world

This paper is not about microplastics; it synthesizes research on river dynamics from headwaters to receiving waters in urban environments, covering hydrological, ecological, and restoration topics.

2023