Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in lakes: Distribution patterns and influencing factors

This review analyzed 84 studies across 64 lakes worldwide to understand where microplastics tend to concentrate in freshwater systems. Microplastic levels were highest near areas of heavy human activity and water inflows, and concentrations in lake sediments have been increasing over time, which matters because lakes are important sources of drinking water.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Research status and prospects of microplastic pollution in lakes

This review systematically covers microplastic pollution research in lakes, including sampling and identification methods, distribution patterns, ecological effects, and knowledge gaps, identifying lakes as important but understudied sinks for microplastic contamination.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution of worldwide lakes

This review compiles research on microplastic pollution across 98 lakes worldwide, finding contamination in every lake studied. Lakes act as temporary or long-term accumulators of microplastics because water can remain in them for extended periods, and they receive plastic waste from surrounding areas. The review highlights that freshwater microplastic contamination deserves as much attention as ocean pollution, especially since many communities depend on lakes for drinking water and food.

2021 Environmental Pollution 304 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in lakes: Sources, impact, and solutions

This review comprehensively covers the sources, pathways, ecological impacts, and remediation strategies for microplastic pollution in freshwater lakes, highlighting how particles from urban runoff, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition accumulate in lake ecosystems and transfer into food webs.

2025 World Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology and Sciences
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in Surface Waters and Sediments of Urban Lake

This book chapter reviews microplastic pollution in urban lake surface waters and sediments, describing sources, distribution patterns, and the ecological consequences of MP accumulation in these widely used but understudied freshwater habitats.

2025
Article Tier 2

Monitoring of microplastic concentrations in 132 Iowa lakes in relation to abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic factors

Researchers surveyed microplastic concentrations in 132 lakes across Iowa, examining how biological, physical, and human factors influence plastic levels. Lakes near populated areas and with greater human activity showed higher microplastic concentrations, demonstrating that freshwater lakes are broadly contaminated by plastic pollution.

2023 1 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Global occurrence characteristics, drivers, and environmental risk assessment of microplastics in lakes: A meta-analysis

This meta-analysis of 42 studies found significant heterogeneity in microplastic pollution levels across global lakes, driven by geographical location and sampling methods. Small microplastics (under 1 mm) were disproportionately concentrated in sediment compared to water, and while most lakes showed low overall environmental risk, pollution levels in lake sediments were generally higher than in surrounding water.

2024 Environmental Pollution 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Global microplastic contamination in freshwater lakes: Spatial patterns, environmental drivers, and methodological challenges

This review systematically analyzed 84 studies covering more than 300 lakes worldwide to assess global microplastic contamination in freshwater lake systems. Surface water MP concentrations ranged from below 0.001 to over 200 MP/L, with fibers and fragments dominating, polyethylene and polypropylene most common, and highest levels found in shallow, lowland, and eutrophic systems near urbanized shorelines.

2025 Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Lake sediments as microplastic sink: The case of three lakes from Northern and Central Poland

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in bottom sediments from three lakes in northern and central Poland with low surrounding human activity, finding between 4 and 21 microplastic particles per kilogram of wet sediment. These values were low compared to lakes in urbanized areas, suggesting anthropogenic pressure significantly drives sediment microplastic accumulation.

2024 Quaestiones Geographicae 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A comparative review of microplastics in lake systems from different countries and regions

Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination data from lake systems across multiple countries, finding that abundance, size, and polymer type varied widely by region and identifying land use, population density, and hydrological connectivity as key drivers of lake microplastic levels.

2021 Chemosphere 206 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: Not a Micro Issue

This article presents an overview of microplastic pollution in oceans and lakes, reviewing sources, distribution, ecological impacts, and current research priorities. It emphasizes that microplastic contamination is no longer a minor issue but a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and potentially to human health.

2019 SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología
Article Tier 2

Hotspots lurking underwater: Insights into the contamination characteristics, environmental fates and impacts on biogeochemical cycling of microplastics in freshwater sediments

This review examines how microplastics accumulate in freshwater lake and river sediments, which act as major collection points for these particles. Researchers found that microplastic distribution in sediments varies significantly depending on local conditions, and that the particles can alter nutrient cycling and affect sediment-dwelling organisms. The study highlights freshwater sediments as critical but understudied hotspots for microplastic contamination.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 34 citations
Review Tier 2

Distribution Characteristics and Impact of Microplastics: A Literature Review

This literature review summarizes the types, sources, distribution, and pollution status of microplastics in marine and lake environments, their interactions with other contaminants, and removal technologies. It finds MPs are prevalent across aquatic environments and harmful to biological and human health, with some effective removal technologies available but implementation remaining limited.

2025 Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Pollution in Surface Waters and Sediments of Urban Lakes

This book chapter reviews microplastic pollution in surface waters and sediments of urban lakes, examining sources including stormwater runoff and atmospheric deposition, and discussing ecological effects on lake-dwelling organisms.

2025
Article Tier 2

A survey on the effect of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes

This review surveys plastic pollution in the Great Lakes of North America, examining the distribution of micro-, meso-, and macroplastics across these ecologically and economically important freshwater systems. The Great Lakes contain significant quantities of microplastics from surrounding urban and industrial areas, threatening freshwater biodiversity and drinking water quality.

2021 Journal of Future Sustainability 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic in Freshwater Environment: A Review on Techniques and Abundance for Microplastic Detection in Lake Water

This review examines microplastic pollution in freshwater environments, summarizing detection techniques and reporting on abundance data from rivers, lakes, and streams worldwide. The authors highlight methodological inconsistencies that complicate cross-study comparisons and call for standardized sampling and analysis protocols.

2023 Trends in Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in lakes and lake shoreline sediments – A case study on Lake Bolsena and Lake Chiusi (central Italy)

Researchers surveyed a lake and its shoreline sediments for microplastic pollution, documenting contamination levels and particle characteristics and finding that shoreline sediments accumulated higher concentrations than open water.

2016 Environmental Pollution 586 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Pollution: A Brief Review of Its Source and Abundance in Different Aquatic Ecosystems

This review summarizes what is known about microplastic sources and abundance across different aquatic ecosystems including rivers, lakes, and oceans. Researchers found that microplastics are pervasive across all water environments, with concentrations influenced by nearby human activities and pollution sources. The study identifies key pathways through which microplastics enter aquatic habitats and calls for standardized monitoring methods to better track contamination levels.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in lakeshore and lakebed sediments – External influences and temporal and spatial variabilities of concentrations

This study examined spatial and temporal variation in microplastic concentrations in lakeshore and lakebed sediments, finding that external inputs, lake hydrodynamics, and seasonal factors all contributed to heterogeneous distribution patterns.

2021 Environmental Research 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in lakes and rivers: an issue of emerging significance to limnology

Researchers found that microplastic concentrations in freshwater lakes and rivers can exceed those of living organisms like zooplankton, with sediment levels matching the most contaminated marine sites, establishing microplastics as a significant issue for limnology.

2021 Environmental Reviews 141 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastics in sediments and surface waters of Turkish lakes

Researchers surveyed seven lakes in Turkey and found microplastics in all of them, with polyethylene and polypropylene being the most common types. Human activities like tourism, fishing, and urban waste disposal were identified as major sources, showing that even protected lake areas are contaminated with plastic particles that can enter drinking water supplies.

2025 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis on advances and characteristics of microplastic pollution in China’s lake ecosystems

Statistical data on microplastic pollution were compiled and analyzed for 86 lakes across China's lake ecosystems over the past five years, revealing widespread contamination with concentrations generally higher in lakes near urban and industrial areas. The review identifies China's heavily polluted eastern lake region as a priority for microplastic monitoring and management intervention.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

This overview examines the emerging problem of microplastic contamination in freshwater environments, covering sources, occurrence, and potential effects on aquatic ecosystems. The authors discuss how microplastics enter lakes and rivers through wastewater treatment plants, runoff, and degradation of larger plastic debris. The review highlights that freshwater microplastic pollution deserves the same research attention as marine contamination, given that rivers serve as major transport pathways for plastics reaching the ocean.

2017 ˜The œhandbook of environmental chemistry 384 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in 132 Iowa lakes and variability in relation to abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic factors

Researchers surveyed microplastic concentrations across 132 lakes in Iowa, finding that microplastics were nearly ubiquitous even in rural, minimally developed lakes — though concentrations were higher in lakes near urban areas, agricultural land, and higher human population density. Fiber-type microplastics were most common, consistent with patterns seen globally. The broad survey across diverse lake types provides compelling evidence that microplastic contamination of freshwater lakes is widespread across the American Midwest, not limited to industrial or highly urbanized regions.

2025 Environmental Pollution 1 citations