Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Comment on egusphere-2023-882

This comment discusses a study estimating how much microplastic is transported from agricultural soils into rivers through erosion and surface runoff. The analysis highlights soil erosion as an important but often overlooked pathway by which microplastics move from land to freshwater systems.

2023
Article Tier 2

Model-based analysis of erosion-induced microplastic delivery from arable land to the stream network of a mesoscale catchment

Researchers applied a model-based analysis to quantify how erosion transports microplastics from agricultural land to the stream network of a mesoscale catchment, finding that surface runoff and soil erosion are significant pathways for microplastic delivery to inland waters.

2024 SOIL 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Model-based analysis of erosion-induced microplastic delivery from arable land to the stream network of a mesoscale catchment

Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model estimating how much microplastic is transported from farmland soils into stream networks through soil erosion. The study found that erosion can be a significant pathway for moving microplastics from agricultural fields into rivers, with implications for downstream water quality.

2023 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Comment on egusphere-2024-2788

Researchers developed a reduced-complexity model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in river systems, building on established sediment transport methods to explore how fluvial processes trap and store microplastics as they move from terrestrial sources toward the marine environment, finding that rivers may represent an important global reservoir of microplastic pollution.

2024
Article Tier 2

Tyre and road wear particles - A calculation of generation, transport and release to water and soil with special regard to German roads

This study calculated that German roads generate 75,000 to 98,000 tons of tire and road wear particles annually, with a significant portion reaching surface waters and roadside soils. The findings highlight tire wear as a major but often overlooked source of microplastic pollution requiring better data and management strategies.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 244 citations
Article Tier 2

Reply on RC1

This study provides the first estimates of how much microplastic is delivered from agricultural soils to freshwater systems through surface runoff and erosion. Soil erosion events can mobilize accumulated microplastics from farmland into rivers, representing a significant and previously underestimated transport pathway.

2023
Article Tier 2

Dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis of rubber release from tires into the environment

A dynamic material flow analysis model estimated the annual and cumulative release of rubber from vehicle tires into the environment via road wear, finding that tire rubber represents a substantial fraction of total microplastic pollution in terrestrial and aquatic systems. The study helps quantify this important but often overlooked microplastic source.

2019 Environmental Pollution 184 citations
Article Tier 2

Reply to reviewer comments on egusphere-2024-2788

Researchers developed a reduced-complexity model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in river systems based on sediment transport methods, applying it to the Tet River in France and finding that the model accurately captures observed microplastic flux at the outlet when assuming 1-10 ppm volume concentration of microplastic in the top 0.5 m of soil with 300 µm grain size particles settling at approximately 10^-4 m/sec.

2024
Article Tier 2

Simulating microplastics temporal dynamics, driving mechanisms and giving insights on sources

Researchers developed a watershed-scale model to simulate temporal dynamics of microplastic concentrations across air, soil, and water compartments, incorporating land use, hydrology, and seasonal variation. The model reproduced observed patterns in a French river catchment and identified agricultural soils as the dominant terrestrial source to receiving waters.

2025
Article Tier 2

Soil erosion as transport pathway of microplastic from agriculture soils to aquatic ecosystems

Researchers simulated heavy rainfall events on agricultural soils containing microplastics and tracked particle transport through runoff and erosion, finding that soil erosion is a significant pathway for moving agricultural microplastics into adjacent water bodies, with particle size and shape governing transport distance.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Export of microplastics from land to sea. A modelling approach

Researchers developed a model to estimate how much microplastic flows from European rivers into the sea, accounting for different sources and sewage treatment effectiveness. They found that tire and road wear particles and textile fibers from laundry are the two largest sources, together making up over 70% of river-borne microplastics. About two-thirds of the modeled microplastic emissions flow into the Mediterranean and Black Sea, largely due to less effective wastewater treatment in those regions.

2017 Water Research 568 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterizing export of land-based microplastics to the estuary - Part I: Application of integrated geospatial microplastic transport models to assess tire and road wear particles in the Seine watershed

Researchers developed an integrated geospatial model to track tire and road wear particles from their generation points through the Seine watershed to the estuary. The study found that a substantial portion of these microplastic particles are retained in soils and freshwater sediments during transport, suggesting that land-based microplastic export to coastal waters depends heavily on local hydrology and land use patterns.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 280 citations
Article Tier 2

Comment on egusphere-2024-2788

Researchers developed a reduced-complexity model to explore how microplastics are transported through fluvial systems from source to marine sink, investigating the potential for rivers to act as significant reservoirs of microplastic pollution. The study examines the trapping dynamics of microplastics within river systems, analogous to sediment transport, and assesses their global significance as microplastic stores.

2024
Article Tier 2

Tire Abrasion as a Major Source of Microplastics in the Environment

This study analyzed tire wear particles as a major source of microplastics in the environment, estimating that tire abrasion contributes a substantial fraction of total microplastic emissions globally and highlighting road runoff as a key delivery pathway to waterways.

2018 Aerosol and Air Quality Research 582 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the overland transport of microplastics from agricultural soils to freshwater systems

This study investigated how microplastics move from agricultural soils to freshwater systems through surface runoff. Researchers found that rainfall intensity, soil type, and particle characteristics all influenced how much plastic reached waterways. Understanding the overland transport pathway is important because agricultural soils are one of the largest reservoirs of microplastics in terrestrial environments.

2023
Article Tier 2

An estimation of tire and road wear particles emissions in surface water based on a conceptual framework

Researchers developed a conceptual framework to estimate emissions of tire and road wear particles (TRWPs) into surface water, identifying them as a dominant source of microplastic contamination in freshwater environments globally.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying soil surface erosion

This study quantified soil surface erosion rates using a combination of field measurements and modeling, examining how land use, vegetation cover, and rainfall intensity interact to drive soil loss. The findings provide improved estimates for erosion-driven microplastic transport in agricultural landscapes.

2024 Comptes Rendus Physique 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Static modelling of the material flows of micro- and nanoplastic particles caused by the use of vehicle tyres

Researchers modeled the flow of tyre wear particles in Austria, finding that about 6% of tyre rubber is released as wear particles into the environment each year, with emissions entering air, soil, and surface water. The study estimated that of the 21,200 tonnes released annually, about 6% are microscale particles and 0.3% are nanoscale, and concluded that reducing overall vehicle mileage would be the most effective way to cut these emissions.

2021 Environmental Pollution 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Catchment-scale mechanistic predictions of microplastic transport and distribution across land and water

Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model successfully predicting microplastic transport from land to water, validated against field data, revealing how soil accumulation, runoff dynamics, and in-stream transport interact to determine where microplastics concentrate before reaching the ocean.

2022 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Relevance of tyre wear particles to the total content of microplastics transported by runoff in a high-imperviousness and intense vehicle traffic urban area.

Researchers characterized microplastics and tire wear particles (TWPs) transported by urban stormwater runoff in a highly impervious catchment, finding that TWPs made up a substantial fraction of the total microplastic load in sediments of a stormwater detention reservoir. The study underscores the contribution of road traffic to microplastic pollution entering waterways.

2022 Environmental Pollution 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterizing export of land-based microplastics to the estuary - Part II: Sensitivity analysis of an integrated geospatial microplastic transport modeling assessment of tire and road wear particles

Researchers conducted a sensitivity analysis of an integrated geospatial model for tire and road wear particle (TRWP) transport from land to estuary, identifying the model parameters and landscape characteristics that most strongly influence predictions of microplastic export to marine receiving waters.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 85 citations
Article Tier 2

A numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition for fluvial systems

Researchers developed a reduced-complexity numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in fluvial systems, building on sediment transport methods and applying it to the Têt River in France where outlet flux monitoring data were available. The model found that matching observed fluxes required 1-10 ppm volume concentration of microplastic in the top 0.5 meters of soil, and predicted that a large proportion of microplastics become trapped in river sediments rather than reaching the ocean.

2024
Article Tier 2

A numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition for fluvial systems

Researchers developed a numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in river systems, finding that rivers act as temporary sinks trapping significant fractions of MPs before they reach the ocean, with implications for estimating marine MP loading from terrestrial sources.

2025 Earth Surface Dynamics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of Agricultural and Urban Land on Microplastic Concentrations in Rivers

This review synthesizes literature on how agricultural and urban land uses influence microplastic concentrations in rivers, examining pathways including stormwater runoff, wastewater discharge, and tire wear from roads. Urban areas consistently contributed higher microplastic loads than agricultural areas, with runoff events being a major transport mechanism.

2025 Digital Commons - CSUMB (California State University, Monterey Bay)