Papers

20 results
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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

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

On modeling the fate of microplastics along river networks

Researchers developed and applied a modeling framework to simulate the fate and transport of microplastics along river network systems, treating rivers as key conduits transferring land-based microplastic pollution to marine environments. The model accounted for particle ingestion risks to aquatic organisms and evaluated the long-term persistence and transport dynamics of microplastics across freshwater networks.

2022
Article Tier 2

A Lagrangian Model for Microplastics Transport in Rivers

Researchers developed a Lagrangian computational model to simulate how microplastics are transported through river systems, accounting for particle buoyancy, turbulence, and settling behavior. The model provides a tool for predicting microplastic fate and accumulation in freshwater environments.

2024 Jornadas de jóvenes investigadores del I3A
Article Tier 2

A numerical model of microplastic transport for fluvial systems

Researchers developed a reduced-complexity numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in fluvial systems, applying it to the river Têt in France and finding that a large proportion of microplastics become entrained in river sediments before reaching the ocean.

2024
Article Tier 2

Modeling microplastic dynamics in riverine systems: fate and transport analysis

Researchers developed a computer model to simulate how microplastics travel through river systems, accounting for how they enter from human activities and how they settle, resuspend, and deposit along riverbanks. The model was applied to the Tame River in the UK using four different scenarios based on plastic particle types like fibers, fragments, and pellets. The study provides a tool for predicting where microplastics accumulate in rivers, which could help target cleanup and monitoring efforts.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Modeling and Parametric Simulation of Microplastic Transport in Groundwater Environments

Researchers developed a parametric simulation model specifically for microplastic transport in groundwater environments, addressing the inadequacy of existing dissolved-contaminant models for studying particulate plastic pollution in subsurface systems.

2021 Applied Sciences 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Rivers as Conduits: A Comprehensive Model of Microplastic Fate and Transport

This study developed a comprehensive model of microplastic fate and transport in rivers, integrating processes of erosion, resuspension, sedimentation, and burial to simulate how microplastics move through river networks toward the ocean.

2024
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Sensitivity of Microplastic Accumulation Zones in Rivers Using High-Performance Particle Transport Modelling

Researchers applied high-performance particle transport modelling to explore the sensitivity of microplastic accumulation zones in rivers, identifying key hydrodynamic factors that govern where microplastics concentrate. The modelling approach provides a tool for predicting hotspot areas of microplastic deposition in fluvial environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Dispersal and transport of microplastic particles under different flow conditions in riverine ecosystem

Researchers developed a particle-tracking model combined with hydrodynamic simulation to study how microplastics travel through river systems under different water flow conditions. They found that flow speed, turbulence, and river channel features significantly influence where microplastics accumulate and how far they travel. The study provides a useful tool for predicting microplastic transport patterns and identifying pollution hotspots in river ecosystems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Nehirlerde Mikroplastik Kirliliği ve Hidrodinamik Modellenmesi

This Turkish-language review covers microplastic pollution in rivers, including sources, transport mechanisms, and hydrodynamic modeling approaches. Rivers are the primary pathway by which microplastics move from land-based sources to the ocean.

2021 European Journal of Science and Technology 5 citations
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

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

Exploring Macroplastic Transport and Retention Dynamics in Country-Wide River Networks

This modeling study examined how macroplastic debris is transported and retained in river networks across an entire country. The research found that riverbanks and floodplains trap large amounts of plastic debris, revealing complex dynamics that influence how much plastic ultimately reaches the ocean.

2023
Article Tier 2

Quantifying the impact of biofouling on microplastic transport: a modeling study

Researchers developed a modeling study to quantify how biofouling -- the attachment of microorganisms to microplastic surfaces -- affects microplastic transport in river systems by altering particle size, shape, density, and settling velocity, using quantified data to simulate transport dynamics.

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

A numerical model of microplastic transport for fluvial systems in the land-sea continuum

A reduced-complexity numerical model was developed to simulate how microplastics erode, transport, and deposit through river systems, applied to the Têt River in France. The model successfully reproduced observed microplastic fluxes and reveals that rivers likely act as significant reservoirs trapping plastic on its journey from land sources to the ocean, suggesting current estimates of marine microplastic inputs may be underestimates.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A Lagrangian model for microplastics transport in SERGHEI

Researchers implemented a Lagrangian particle tracking model for microplastic transport in the SERGHEI river flow simulation framework to predict plastic movement and fate in river systems. The model successfully reproduced field observations of microplastic distribution in test rivers and is applicable for assessing plastic pollution transport and identifying accumulation zones.

2025
Article Tier 2

A novel modeling approaches to understand the fate and transport of microplastics in aquatic environment

This paper reviews novel modeling approaches for simulating microplastic fate and transport in aquatic environments, arguing that process-based and data-driven models are needed to complement field monitoring and improve risk assessments.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Modeling the Fate and Transport of Plastic Debris in Freshwaters: Review and Guidance

Researchers reviewed current mathematical models for tracking how plastic debris — including microplastics and nanoplastics — moves through freshwater environments, finding that while many principles from existing particle models apply, plastic's unique combination of high persistence, low density, and extreme size range makes its behavior far more varied and complex to predict.

2017 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 147 citations
Article Tier 2

Modelling the Fate of Microplastics in river bed sediments.

Researchers modeled the fate of microplastics deposited in river bed sediments, examining how hydrological conditions influence their distribution, burial, and potential for downstream transport. The models revealed that river bed sediments act as significant long-term reservoirs for microplastic pollution.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)