Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

World's Largest Mangrove Forest Becoming Plastic Cesspit

Researchers reported on accelerating plastic pollution in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, documenting how the ecosystem is becoming a sink for plastic debris from surrounding human settlements and river systems.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 36 citations
Article Tier 2

A comprehensive review on the negative impacts on Sundarbans fisheries: Insights from the hydrological changes modulated by climate change and anthropogenic activities

This review examines the interconnected threats to fisheries in the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem from climate change and human activities. Researchers found that hydrological changes from rising sea levels, cyclones, and salinity fluctuations, combined with pollution from pesticides, heavy metals, microplastics, and oil spills, are degrading fish habitats and contaminating edible fish tissues. The study identifies critical research gaps including insufficient long-term climate monitoring and limited data on pollutant levels in the region.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Climate Change and Current Adaptation Strategies in the Haor Areas

This paper is not about microplastic pollution. It examines how climate change affects fishers in the haor wetland areas of Bangladesh, documenting impacts like altered rainfall patterns, natural disasters, and disease emergence, along with the adaptation strategies fishers use to cope.

2023 Journal of Knowledge Learning and Science Technology ISSN 2959-6386 (online) 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Is the Sundarbans of Bangladesh in a State of Pollution?

This comprehensive review of pollution sources in the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem (Bangladesh) covers industrial waste, heavy metals, agrochemicals, oil spills, and plastic debris, finding that air and water quality are currently within acceptable ranges but warning that rapid land-use change nearby poses growing risks. While plastics from urban areas are mentioned, the study is a broad ecosystem health review rather than a focused microplastic study.

2023 Open Journal of Forestry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic characterization and factors influencing its abundance in coastal wetlands: insights from the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem, Sundarbans

Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove ecosystem, examining both water and sediment samples from 20 sites. They found microplastics at every location, with polystyrene being the most abundant polymer and fragments the most common shape. The study identified proximity to port activity and organic carbon levels as key factors influencing microplastic distribution, underscoring the vulnerability of this critical ecosystem.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Challenges towards the Sustainability and Enhancement of the Indian Sundarban Mangrove’s Blue Carbon Stock

This review examined threats to the blue carbon stock of the Sundarban mangrove forest (the world's largest at 26.62 Tg of carbon), identifying cyclones, erosion, freshwater scarcity, nutrient deficiency, and anthropogenic pollution as major drivers of carbon stock decline. The study emphasizes the challenge of enhancing carbon storage in the Sundarban given multiple interacting stressors.

2023 Life 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution load in Sundarban delta of Bay of Bengal

Researchers reviewed microplastic pollution in the Sundarban Delta of the Bay of Bengal, finding that approximately 4 million tonnes of microplastics are discharged annually into the region from rivers in India and Bangladesh. The study documented plastic accumulation in sediments, water, and aquatic organisms, with over 56 tons of plastic waste deposited after a single cyclone in 2020. The findings highlight the urgent need for stronger policy measures to protect the world's largest mangrove ecosystem from microplastic contamination.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Risk assessment and influence of microplastics on mangrove forest soil: Sandwip Island, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in mangrove forest soils on Sandwip Island, Bangladesh, characterizing the abundance, types, and potential ecological risks of the particles. They found notable levels of microplastic pollution in the mangrove sediments, with fibers and fragments being the most common forms. The study highlights an understudied threat to mangrove ecosystems and calls for greater attention to microplastic impacts on these critical coastal habitats.

2026 Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Review Tier 2

Mangrove Health: A Review of Functions, Threats, and Challenges Associated with Mangrove Management Practices

This review describes how mangrove forests protect coastlines, store carbon, and support marine life, but are under increasing threat from development, pollution, and climate change. Mangrove loss matters for microplastic pollution because these ecosystems act as natural filters that can trap plastic particles before they spread further into the ocean and food chain.

2023 Forests 181 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative metagenomic analysis from Sundarbans ecosystems advances our understanding of microbial communities and their functional roles

Researchers used metagenome analysis — reading all genetic material from environmental samples — to map the microbial communities in the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, finding a rich diversity of bacteria including methane-processors, nitrogen-cyclers, and pollution-remediating species absent from nearby non-mangrove soils. The study provides the first comprehensive microbial inventory of this critical ecosystem and highlights its potential for bioremediation of environmental pollutants.

2024 Scientific Reports 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Economic and Ecological Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Fisheries: A Global Analysis of Vulnerability and Adaptive Management Strategies

Researchers conducted a global analysis of how climate change compounds existing threats to coastal fisheries, including pollution from microplastics and other anthropogenic stressors. The study evaluated vulnerability across regions and assessed adaptive management strategies. The findings suggest that integrated approaches addressing both climate and pollution pressures are needed to sustain coastal fisheries.

2025 American journal of student research. 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The pervasiveness of microplastic contamination in the gastrointestinal tract of fish from the western coast of Bangladesh

Researchers found microplastics in every individual fish examined from the western coast of Bangladesh, with an average of 7.1 particles per specimen, and demersal species accumulating more microplastics than pelagic species near the world's largest mangrove ecosystem.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Future importance of healthy oceans: Ecosystem functions and biodiversity, marine pollution, carbon sequestration, ecosystem goods and services

This review examines the health of the Bay of Bengal large marine ecosystem, identifying climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss as major threats. Microplastic pollution is among the chemical threats identified, with serious implications for fisheries that support hundreds of millions of people in South and Southeast Asia.

2019 Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Risk Assessment and Influence of Microplastics on mangrove forest soil: Sandwip Island, Chittagong, Bangladesh

This study assessed microplastic contamination and associated ecological risk in mangrove forest soils on Sandwip Island in Bangladesh, a region with limited prior MP research. The authors found widespread MP presence and elevated risk indices, linking contamination to nearby plastic waste sources and tidal transport.

2025
Article Tier 2

Impact of elevated environmental pollutants on carbon storage in mangrove wetlands: A comprehensive review

Researchers synthesized global studies on pollutant impacts in mangrove wetlands — which store about 10% of coastal ocean carbon — finding that microplastics reduce carbon stocks by 1-12% by impairing photosynthesis and destabilizing sediments, while heavy metals and oil spills compound the damage to these critical climate carbon sinks.

2025 Ecological Indicators 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Singapore’s coastal mangrove ecosystems

Researchers sampled coastal mangrove ecosystems in Singapore and found microplastics throughout, demonstrating that mangrove habitats accumulate plastic pollution and raising concerns for the organisms that depend on these ecologically important coastal forests.

2013 Marine Pollution Bulletin 977 citations
Article Tier 2

Mangrove forests as traps for marine litter

Researchers surveyed 20 mangrove forests along the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf and confirmed that mangroves act as traps for marine plastic litter, with denser forests and proximity to shipping routes linked to higher debris accumulation. The study shows that ocean-based activities, not just land-based sources, are a major driver of plastic buildup in coastal mangrove ecosystems.

2019 Environmental Pollution 360 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecological interception effect of mangroves on microplastics

Researchers found that mangroves act as an ecological barrier intercepting microplastics, with MP abundance decreasing from river inputs toward the ocean, demonstrating the role of mangrove ecosystems in filtering plastic pollution before it reaches open waters.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Multidimensional Assessment of Microplastic Pollution in Mangrove Wetlands: Driving Mechanisms, Carbon Contribution, and Ecological Risk

Scientists found tiny plastic particles called microplastics throughout mangrove wetlands in China, with the highest levels in areas used for fishing and fish farming. These plastic particles are building up in the sediment and water, creating pollution hotspots that pose moderate ecological risks to these important coastal ecosystems. This matters because mangroves help protect coastlines and support marine life that humans depend on for food, so plastic pollution in these areas could ultimately affect our food supply and coastal protection.

2026 Environmental Science & Technology
Review Tier 2

Microplastics pollution in mangrove ecosystems: A critical review of current knowledge and future directions

This review synthesizes available research on microplastic pollution in mangrove ecosystems, which act as buffers between land and sea and accumulate plastics from both marine and terrestrial sources. The authors identify key gaps in knowledge and call for more research on how microplastics affect these ecologically critical habitats.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 228 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in mangroves at their southernmost African distribution limit

This study examined how South African mangrove ecosystems have changed over time, finding that urbanization and artificial coastal modifications have significantly altered mangrove distribution and health. Healthy mangroves are important coastal ecosystems that can trap marine litter including microplastics.

2020 Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing microplastic contamination levels in ghana's mangrove wetlands

Researchers investigated microplastic contamination levels in Ghana's mangrove wetlands, examining how the morphology of mangrove root systems traps and accumulates plastic particles of all sizes and assessing the threat posed to these ecologically critical coastal ecosystems.

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

Unveiling the microplastic crisis: Insights into Bangladesh's aquatic ecosystems - origins, impact, and solutions

This review examines the growing microplastic crisis in Bangladesh's rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters, finding that the country's rapid urbanization and limited waste management have led to widespread contamination. Microplastics were documented in water, sediment, and fish across multiple Bangladeshi water systems. Since over 160 million people in Bangladesh depend on these water resources for drinking, farming, and fishing, the contamination poses a significant public health concern.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Sediment Influx and Bioaccumulation: A Growing Threat to the Sundarbans Ecosystem

This paper examines sediment influx and microplastic bioaccumulation as growing threats to the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem, reviewing how pollution from surrounding urbanization and agriculture is degrading this UNESCO World Heritage site and its biodiversity.

2025 Preprints.org