Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Heavy metal pollution and ecological risk under different land use types: based on the similarity of pollution sources and comparing the results of three evaluation models

Researchers analyzed heavy metal contamination across five land use types on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, finding that industrial activities like metallurgy and mining were the primary sources of cadmium, copper, and lead pollution, with the highest risk levels in watered and urban lands rather than grasslands.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Heavy metal concentrations in soil and ecological risk assessment in the vicinity of Tianzhu Industrial Park, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Researchers measured the concentrations of ten heavy metals in soils near an industrial park on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and assessed the ecological risks. They found elevated levels of cadmium, mercury, and arsenic in some areas, with risk assessments indicating moderate to high contamination near the industrial zone. The study underscores the vulnerability of high-altitude plateau soils to industrial pollution, even in regions known for their environmental sensitivity.

2024 PeerJ 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact Imposed by Urbanization on Soil Heavy Metal Content of Lake Wetland and Evaluation of Ecological Risks in East Dongting Lake in China

This Chinese study measured heavy metal contamination in wetland soils of East Dongting Lake, finding elevated concentrations of several metals linked to nearby industrial and agricultural activities. Wetland contamination with heavy metals often co-occurs with microplastic pollution, and these combined stressors can have synergistic harmful effects on wetland ecosystems.

2021 Research Square (Research Square) 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil of Lalu Wetland Based on Monte Carlo Simulation and ACPS-MLR

Researchers assessed the ecological and health risks of heavy metals in soil from Lalu Wetland, the world's largest plateau urban wetland in Lhasa, China. They found that overall risk levels were low, with cadmium being the primary pollutant and traffic emissions contributing over half of the contamination. The Monte Carlo simulation-based health assessment indicated no non-carcinogenic risks, though acceptable carcinogenic risks were present, with children being more vulnerable than adults.

2023 Water 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals from Wuliangsuhai Lake, Yellow River Basin, China

Researchers investigated heavy metal contamination in Wuliangsuhai Lake sediments in China's Yellow River Basin, finding that mercury and cadmium are the main pollutants, with cadmium showing the highest bioavailability due to its exchangeable fraction, and exogenous pollution concentrated in the top 20 cm of sediment cores.

2022 Water 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics and Potential Ecological Risks of Heavy Metal Content in the Soil of a Plateau Alpine Mining Area in the Qilian Mountains

Researchers analyzed heavy metal contamination in soil samples from an alpine mining area in the Qilian Mountains and found that cadmium, mercury, and arsenic were the primary pollutants exceeding background levels. The study used multiple assessment methods to evaluate pollution status and identified both mining activities and natural geological sources as contributors. The findings provide baseline data for guiding ecological restoration efforts in high-altitude mining regions.

2023 Land 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Multiple evaluations, risk assessment, and source identification of heavy metals in surface water and sediment of the Golmud River, northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

This study assessed heavy metal concentrations in surface water and sediment of the Golmud River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, identifying pollution sources and evaluating ecological risks to this environmentally sensitive region.

2023 Frontiers in Environmental Science 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial Distributions and Intrinsic Influence Analysis of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb in Sediments from the Wuliangsuhai Wetland, China

Researchers mapped heavy metal concentrations in sediments of the Wuliangsuhai wetland in China, finding arsenic and cadmium levels six- and seven-fold above background values respectively, largely from irrigation water inputs. High bioavailable fractions of cadmium, lead, and zinc raised concerns about ecological and human health risks in this agriculturally managed wetland.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 9 citations
Article Tier 2

[Distribution, Risk, and Influencing Factors of Microplastics in Surface Water of Huangshui River Basin].

Researchers collected 63 surface water samples across the Huangshui River Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the wet season, using metallographic microscopy and Fourier infrared spectroscopy to characterize microplastic distribution, and applied risk index and pollution load index models to evaluate ecological risks.

2022 PubMed 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterizing surface soil heavy metal contamination and source attribution in the Qinghai Lake Basin

Researchers analyzed 227 soil samples across China's Qinghai Lake Basin to map heavy metal contamination, finding generally low pollution levels with transportation as a key source; they recommend future research examine the combined threat of heavy metals and microplastics in alpine ecosystems.

2026 Scientific Reports
Article Tier 2

Characteristics of Soil Heavy Metal Pollution and Health Risks in Chenzhou City

Researchers analyzed 600 soil samples in Chenzhou City, China, and found that while most areas had low to moderate heavy metal contamination, about 3% of samples showed high ecological risk from metals like mercury and cadmium near industrial zones. While focused on heavy metals rather than microplastics, the study is relevant because microplastics in soil can absorb and transport these same toxic metals, potentially increasing human exposure through crops grown in contaminated areas.

2024 Processes 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution pattern and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in Henan section of the Yellow River

Researchers assessed heavy metal pollution in sediments of the Henan section of the Yellow River, finding elevated concentrations of several metals including cadmium and lead, with ecological risk assessments indicating moderate to high risk in certain areas driven by both natural and anthropogenic inputs.

2022 Water Science & Technology Water Supply 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Urban natural wetland as a sink for microplastics: A case from Lalu Wetland in Tibet, China

Microplastics were detected in water and sediment from Lalu Wetland in Tibet, a high-altitude urban natural wetland, establishing it as a sink for airborne and waterborne plastic particles. The study documents plastic contamination even in remote Tibetan ecosystems and highlights the role of wetlands in trapping microplastics from surrounding catchments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing wetlands ecological risk through an adaptive cycle framework

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper develops an ecological risk assessment framework for wetlands based on adaptive cycle theory, applied to Kunshan, China, focusing on climate change and human impacts rather than plastic contamination.

2023 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Integrative Evaluation of the Ecological Hazards by Microplastics and Heavy Metals in Wetland Ecosystem

Researchers conducted an integrative ecological hazard assessment of microplastics combined with heavy metals, evaluating their combined toxicity to aquatic organisms. The study found that co-contamination with heavy metals and microplastics poses greater ecological risk than either pollutant alone.

2023 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Study on the Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Different Soil-Crop Systems and Ecological Risk Assessment: A Case Study of Jiao River Basin

Researchers assessed heavy metal accumulation in four crops (wheat, corn, potatoes, and leeks) and soils from the Jiao River Basin, evaluating ecological risk from eight heavy metals including copper, lead, cadmium, and arsenic. The study found that cadmium and arsenic posed the highest ecological risks, with crop type influencing heavy metal uptake patterns.

2023 Agronomy 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterizing Surface Soil Heavy Metal Contamination and Source Attribution in the Qinghai Lake Basin

Researchers collected 227 surface soil samples across the Qinghai Lake Basin to characterize the spatial distribution and source attribution of twelve heavy metals using enrichment factors, geo-accumulation indices, and absolute principal component analysis, distinguishing natural geogenic contributions from anthropogenic inputs.

2025
Article Tier 2

Environmental Behaviors, Ecological Risks, and Toxic Mechanisms of Emerging and Legacy Contaminants in China: From Distribution to Management

Researchers reviewed the environmental distribution, ecological risks, and toxic mechanisms of both emerging and legacy contaminants in China's aquatic environments, examining how industrialization and urbanization drive the co-occurrence and combined pollution that threatens ecosystem integrity and human health.

2026 Toxics
Article Tier 2

An integrated evaluation of potentially toxic elements and microplastics in the highland soils of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Researchers conducted the first integrated assessment of toxic elements and microplastics in grassland and farmland soils on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. They found microplastic abundances ranging from 200 to over 3,600 particles per kilogram, with polypropylene dominating in grasslands and polyethylene in farmlands. The study reveals that even remote highland ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau are not immune to microplastic contamination.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and Speciation of Pollutants in Guilin Huixian Wetland: Nutrients, Microplastics, Heavy Metals, and Emerging Contaminants

This review synthesizes the pollution status of the Huixian Wetland in Guilin, China, covering nutrients, heavy metals, emerging contaminants, and microplastics together, finding that growing industrial, agricultural, and aquaculture activities are degrading this ecologically valuable karst wetland. The combined pollutant lens provides a more complete picture of cumulative environmental pressure than any single contaminant study could offer.

2024 Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-exposure of microplastics with heavy metals increases environmental pressure in the endangered and rare wildlife reserve: A case study of the zhalong wetland red-crowned crane nature reserve, northeast China

Researchers studied how microplastics and heavy metals interact in the Zhalong Wetland, a nature reserve for endangered red-crowned cranes in northeast China. They found that microplastics in the wetland carried elevated levels of heavy metals on their surfaces, creating a combined contamination risk greater than either pollutant alone. The study raises concerns about the compounded environmental pressures facing protected wildlife areas from multiple pollutant types.

2024 Environmental Pollution 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluation of plateau wetland ecological security and its influencing factors in multi-climatic zones: A case study of Yunnan Province

Not a microplastics paper — this study assesses the ecological security of plateau wetlands across Yunnan Province, China using a pressure-state-response model based on remote sensing data, identifying climate and human activity as key threats to these fragile ecosystems.

2023 Research Square (Research Square) 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-occurrence of microplastics and heavy metals in sediments of the Lanzhou section of the Yellow River: Distribution characterizations and comprehensive ecological risk assessment

Researchers assessed the co-occurrence of microplastics and heavy metals in sediments from the Yellow River's Lanzhou section, finding microplastic abundance ranging from 243 to 4,289 items per kilogram, predominantly small fragments under 100 micrometers. The study developed an optimized two-dimensional index for evaluating combined pollutant risks and found severe composite pollution, with copper and cadmium showing the highest contamination levels. The findings highlight the need for integrated risk assessment frameworks in urban river systems.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Heavy-Metal Pollution in Coastal Pinqing Lagoon (Southern China): Anthropogenic and Hydrological Effect

Researchers examined spatiotemporal patterns of heavy metal pollution in Pinqing Lagoon, a coastal lagoon in South China, using core and surface sediment samples to assess enrichment, contamination factors, and ecological risk. The study found that Cu was the chief pollutant while Cd posed the highest ecological risk, with century-scale anthropogenic disturbance, industrial activity, and wastewater discharge driving contamination patterns.

2023 Water 4 citations