Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Meso- and microplastic composition, distribution patterns and drivers: A snapshot of plastic pollution on Brazilian beaches

A standardized survey of plastic pollution across 22 sandy beaches spanning over 4600 km of Brazilian coast found widespread contamination in coastal sediments, with polymer type, size, and distribution patterns reflecting diverse sources including fishing activity and urban runoff.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 29 citations
Review Tier 2

Review of current trends, advances and analytical challenges for microplastics contamination in Latin America

This review compiled 78 studies on microplastic contamination across Latin America and found that research in the region remains limited, with Brazil accounting for 34% of all studies. Fibers were the most prevalent microplastic type found, making up 62% of particles, with polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, and polystyrene accounting for 80% of identified polymers. The study highlights significant gaps in standardized methodologies that make it difficult to establish baseline microplastic pollution levels across the region.

2020 Environmental Pollution 128 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in Brazilian coastal environments: a systematic review

This systematic review assessed microplastic research across Brazilian coastal areas, including beaches, estuaries, mangroves, and reefs. Researchers analyzed 102 studies and found microplastics present across all types of coastal environments in Brazil. The findings underscore how widespread plastic contamination is in coastal waters, which matters because these are areas where seafood is harvested and people swim and recreate.

2024 Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution across the Brazilian coastline: Evidence from the MICROMar project, the largest coastal survey in the Global South

As part of Brazil's MICROMar project, researchers analysed 4,134 samples from 1,024 beaches along approximately 7,500 km of Brazilian coastline to produce the largest standardised coastal microplastic survey in the Global South. Microplastics were found ubiquitously, with concentration patterns linked to population density, coastal morphology, and river inputs.

2025 Environmental Research
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastics in Brazilian rivers: An overview and a study of floating particle accumulation on the coast of Santa Catarina state

This review of 35 studies found widespread microplastic contamination across Brazilian rivers, with polyethylene and polypropylene fibers being the most common types. Mathematical modeling of floating particle dispersion along the Santa Catarina coast revealed specific accumulation zones, highlighting how river-borne microplastics concentrate in coastal areas where people live and fish.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in Brazil's coastal marine surface waters: The first macroregional baseline from the global south

Researchers conducted the largest microplastic survey in the Global South, sampling 4,134 surface water sites across 7,500 km of Brazilian coastline, finding the highest concentrations in the Eastern Coastline (16.87 MPs/L) and lowest in the Amazonian Equatorial region (1.29 MPs/L), with spatial patterns driven by hydrodynamic conditions, salinity, proximity to sewage, and anthropogenic inputs.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Litter assessment on sandy beaches along the Brazilian coast: a large-scale analysis of macrolitter and microplastics

Researchers conducted a large-scale assessment of macrolitter and microplastic contamination on sandy beaches along the Brazilian coast, characterizing pollution patterns, dominant polymer types, and potential anthropogenic sources across multiple sites.

2025 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Article Tier 2

Methodological similarities and discrepancies among studies on microplastics in South American continental aquatic environments

Researchers conducted a systematic review of 57 studies on microplastic pollution in South American continental aquatic environments, identifying significant methodological discrepancies in sampling, detection limits, and sample preparation that limit cross-study comparability and proposing standardization approaches.

2025 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
Article Tier 2

Analysis of the occurrence of microplastics in beach sand on the Brazilian coast

Researchers evaluated microplastic occurrence in beach sand along the Brazilian coastline using a simplified methodology. The study found widespread microplastic contamination and identified potential pollution sources linked to coastal urbanization and ocean currents.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in brazilian marine environments: a study on beaches in São Francisco do Sul - SC

Beach surveys along São Francisco do Sul in southern Brazil confirmed widespread microplastic presence in coastal sediments, with polymer composition reflecting regional plastic waste streams. The study adds to the body of evidence that Brazilian coastlines are significantly contaminated and calls for national monitoring standards to track and manage the problem.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Contamination by plastics and microplastics: (re)knowing the lived reality.

This Brazilian literature review examines the environmental impact of plastics and microplastics across different pollution scenarios, discussing the history of plastic production and consumption, relevant environmental legislation, and the importance of recycling in addressing plastic contamination.

2023 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Contaminação Por Microplásticos Em Praias Arenosas No Brasil: Uma Revisão Sistemática

This review systematically examines microplastic contamination studies on sandy beaches across Brazil, covering publications from the first Brazilian study in 2009 onward and identifying that sediment (76% of studies), water (12%), and biota (12%) are the primary compartments investigated. The review finds tourism, fishing, and river discharge as the main microplastic sources, and identifies significant methodological gaps that limit cross-study comparisons.

2023 Oecologia Australis 3 citations
Article Tier 2

How natural and anthropogenic factors should drive microplastic behavior and fate: The scenario of Brazilian urban freshwater

This review examines the factors driving microplastic contamination in Brazilian freshwater systems, including the country's massive plastic production and limited recycling infrastructure. Researchers highlight that more than half of post-consumer plastic packaging in Brazil goes unmonitored, and most microplastic research has focused on marine environments while freshwater data remains scarce. The study calls for more systematic monitoring of Brazilian rivers and lakes, especially given the country's continental-scale waterways and diverse ecosystems.

2023 Chemosphere 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Freshwater River in Rio de Janeiro and Its Role as a Source of Microplastic Pollution in Guanabara Bay, SE Brazil

Researchers found widespread microplastic contamination in three rivers flowing into Guanabara Bay, Brazil, with an average of 3,651 particles per cubic meter dominated by fibers, identifying these freshwater systems as major sources of coastal microplastic pollution.

2023 Micro 40 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Plastic Interactions with Brazilian Aquatic Organisms: A Systematic Review of Research Trends and Knowledge Gaps

This systematic review summarizes research on how plastic pollution interacts with aquatic organisms across Brazil's rivers, coasts, and oceans. It identifies major knowledge gaps, including limited studies on microplastic effects in freshwater species and a lack of standardized methods. Understanding these interactions matters because contaminated fish and shellfish can carry microplastics into the human food chain.

2025 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
Article Tier 2

Caracterização de microplásticos em amostras marinhas e estuarinas

This study characterized microplastics collected from marine and estuarine samples in Brazil, classifying them by size, shape, and polymer type. The findings document the widespread presence of microplastic contamination in these coastal ecosystems and provide baseline data for future monitoring.

2021
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastics in marine and estuarine samples

This study characterized microplastics from marine and estuarine environments in Brazil, finding primary microplastics (pellets and beads) alongside secondary particles formed from degradation of discarded plastic. The work highlights the diverse sources and types of microplastic pollution in South American coastal waters.

2021 Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo)
Article Tier 2

Characterization of environmental microplastics present in unconsolidated sediments in coastal waters of 9 beaches on shoreline of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Researchers characterized environmental microplastics in unconsolidated sediments from nine beaches along the southern coast of Brazil, identifying particle abundance, morphology, color, and polymer composition. The study documented widespread microplastic contamination at all sampled coastal sites, with fragments and fibers being the dominant morphological types found in the sediment samples.

2024 LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics as an emerging hazard to terrestrial and marine ecosystems: Sources, Occurrence and Analytical Methods

This review summarized the sources, occurrence, and detection methods for microplastics across multiple environmental compartments, noting that methodological limitations make comparison across studies difficult. The review calls for standardized analytical approaches to better quantify global microplastic contamination.

2021 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Rivers of South America: An Emerging Area of Research

This review examines the current state of microplastic research in South American rivers, finding that studies are concentrated in just a few countries and that standardized sampling methods are largely absent. Researchers identified polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene as the most commonly found plastics, primarily from packaging and textile sources. The study calls for expanded and coordinated research efforts across Latin America to better understand the scale of riverine microplastic pollution on the continent.

2025 Sociedade & natureza 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Review: Microplastic contamination in the Guandu River basin: The water supply reservoir of Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region (Southeastern Brazil) — R1/PR8

Researchers found microplastic contamination throughout the Guandu River basin in Brazil, which supplies water to the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region, with abundance averaging 6.1 particles/m3 in the cold-dry season and 2.3 particles/m3 in the warm-rainy season, dominated by fragments and fibers across 11 identified polymer types.

2025
Article Tier 2

Review: Microplastic contamination in the Guandu River basin: The water supply reservoir of Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region (Southeastern Brazil) — R1/PR7

Researchers found microplastic concentrations of 6.1 ± 4.9 particles/m³ in the cold-dry season and 2.3 ± 1.1 particles/m³ in the warm-rainy season in the Guandu River basin of Rio de Janeiro, with polyethylene and polypropylene dominating and higher abundance linked to greater urban land use.

2025
Systematic Review Tier 1

Where and how? A systematic review of microplastic pollution on beaches in Latin America and the caribbean (LAC)

Microplastic contamination on Latin American and Caribbean beaches ranged from 0 to 5,458 particles/m2, with the highest accumulations found on ocean island beaches. Brazilian beaches accounted for 43% of all studies, while large stretches of coastline in Cuba, Venezuela, and Argentina had no data, and inconsistent methodologies prevented meaningful cross-study comparison.

2022 Environmental Pollution 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatio-seasonal microplastics distribution along a shallow coastal lagoon ecocline within a marine conservation unit

Researchers conducted monthly sampling along a shallow coastal lagoon ecocline in a Brazilian marine conservation unit and found seasonal variation in microplastic abundance driven by rainfall and river inputs, with polyethylene and polypropylene fibers and fragments dominating the samples.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 28 citations