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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Riverkin: seizing the moment to remake vital relations in the UK and beyond
ClearFrom headwaters to receiving waters: river dynamics in an increasingly urban world
This paper is not about microplastics; it synthesizes research on river dynamics from headwaters to receiving waters in urban environments, covering hydrological, ecological, and restoration topics.
Nature
This paper is not about microplastics; it is a philosophical and urban studies chapter discussing human relationships with nature and more-than-human communities in the Anthropocene.
Microplastic pollution in aquatic environments with special emphasis on riverine systems: Current understanding and way forward
This review examines microplastic pollution in freshwater riverine systems, which serve as a critical link between terrestrial and marine environments. Researchers found that rivers are significantly contaminated with microplastics of varying sizes and morphologies, and that these particles can exhibit variable toxicity to aquatic organisms, highlighting the need for more research on freshwater microplastic impacts.
First evidence of microplastics in a freshwater river and their relationship to water quality
Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in a freshwater river used for recreational purposes and found a significant relationship between microplastic abundance and water physicochemical quality parameters, along with the presence of three organic compounds, providing evidence that microplastic pollution and water quality are closely linked.
The Urban River Syndrome: Achieving Sustainability Against a Backdrop of Accelerating Change
This review examines the Urban River Syndrome -- the cumulative degradation of rivers from millennia of human activity -- and explores frameworks for achieving sustainability in urban river management against a backdrop of accelerating environmental change.
The potential for freshwater citizen science to engage and empower: a case study of the Rivers Trusts, United Kingdom
Researchers examined freshwater citizen science programs run by UK Rivers Trusts, finding that volunteer monitoring of water quality, plastic pollution, and invasive species effectively engaged communities and in some cases led directly to pollution source remediation.
Assessment of Micro-Plastic Contamination in Urban River Systems: A Case Study Using UK Catchment Data
This systematic review examines microplastic contamination in urban rivers across the UK, finding that wastewater treatment plants, stormwater runoff, and industrial discharge are the main sources. The research matters for human health because urban rivers supply drinking water and recreational areas, and microplastic pollution in these waterways increases the risk of human exposure.
Plastics in an urbanizing world: sustainable strategies for rivers and seas
This review examines the sources and pathways of macro- and microplastics entering rivers and seas in an urbanizing world, synthesizing evidence on secondary microplastic generation from macroplastics and evaluating sustainable management strategies including improved waste management and reduction of single-use plastics.
From pollution to solutions: Insights into the sources, transport and management of plastic debris in pristine and urban rivers
This review examines how river systems receive and transport plastic debris -- including both macroplastics and microplastics -- from land sources to the ocean, synthesizing evidence on pollution sources, fate, and management strategies across pristine and urban rivers.
River plastic transport and storage budget.
This global synthesis estimated the plastic transport and storage budget for rivers by measuring plastic in the water surface, water column, riverbanks, and floodplains — finding that far more plastic is stored within rivers than is transported to the ocean. The study challenges the assumption that rivers are primarily conduits and highlights them as major long-term plastic reservoirs.
Doing Science in Ecology. Does river flow show a path?
This perspective piece examines how rivers face irreversible changes from habitat simplification, altered water cycles, and human impacts that cascade from local to regional scales, calling for river ecologists to expand their frameworks beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Microplastic accumulation in benthic macroinvertebrates is widespread, regardless of the river ecological status
A broad survey of freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates across multiple rivers found that microplastic accumulation was widespread regardless of local urban development levels, suggesting that factors beyond proximity to urban areas—such as river hydrology and upstream sources—drive MP exposure in freshwater invertebrates.
Rivers as microplastic factories
This perspective paper argues that rivers will continue generating and releasing microplastics for centuries, even if all new plastic pollution were stopped today. Plastic already buried in riverbanks and floodplains will gradually break into smaller pieces through natural water flow, erosion, and weathering. The study reframes rivers as long-term microplastic factories rather than just transport routes, meaning human exposure through water supplies will persist far into the future.
Seeking Philosophical Foundations for Ecological Civilization: Natural Theology East and West
This philosophical paper explores the ecological and spiritual foundations needed to support sustainable civilization, arguing that environmental crises stem partly from a breakdown in humanity's relationship with nature. It contextualizes pollution challenges like microplastics within a broader ethical framework.
Geographies of mobility and belonging: critical plant studies and hopeful worldviews
This interdisciplinary paper challenges the Western idea that plants are passive and immobile, arguing that vegetal life demonstrates resilience, mobility, and complex ecological relationships often overlooked by modern culture. It is a humanities/philosophy paper with no direct relevance to microplastic research.
Interconnected impacts of water resource management and climate change on microplastic pollution and riverine biocoenosis: A review by freshwater ecologists
Researchers reviewed how river hydrology, water resource management, and climate change interact to influence microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems. They found that floods can flush microplastics from catchments, while reservoirs act as both sinks and sources, and extreme weather events driven by climate change tend to concentrate microplastics and threaten aquatic organisms. The study highlights a critical gap in research that jointly addresses these interconnected factors and calls for integrated policy approaches.
Transport processes of microplastic particles in the fluvial environment : erosion, transport and deposition
This thesis examines how microplastics are eroded, transported, and deposited in river systems, tracing their movement from land sources to the ocean. The research fills an important gap in understanding how rivers act as conduits for microplastic pollution and what processes determine where plastic particles accumulate in freshwater environments.
A Snapshot on Urban River Water Characterization and Advances in Remediation Strategies for its Restoration: A Global Perspective
This review examines the state of water quality in urban rivers globally, focusing on developing countries where rapid growth is outpacing water management infrastructure. It reviews how industrial, agricultural, and domestic pollutants — including plastics — are degrading urban waterways.
A critical review of environmental factors influencing the transport dynamics of microplastics in riverine systems: implications for ecological studies
This review examines how environmental factors like river flow, channel shape, vegetation, and sediment influence where microplastics accumulate and how they travel through river systems. The authors found that microplastic transport is far more complex than previously assumed, with particles behaving differently based on their size, shape, and density. Understanding these dynamics is essential for predicting where microplastics end up and designing effective cleanup strategies.
Implikasi Pencemaran Mikroplastik Terhadap Kesehatan Lingkungan Pada Ekosistem Sungai: Literature Review
This Indonesian-language literature review examined the implications of microplastic pollution for environmental health in river ecosystems, drawing on global studies. The review found that microplastics disrupt aquatic food chains and pose risks to organisms and downstream human communities that depend on river water for drinking and agriculture.
Plastic retention and export across Europe's rivers
Scientists found that European rivers hold onto much more plastic pollution than previously thought, rather than just carrying it all to the ocean. This matters because rivers are where many communities get their drinking water, and all this trapped plastic waste (including tiny microplastics) could affect water quality and human health. The study shows we need to focus on reducing plastic waste on land to truly clean up our river systems.
Monitoring and Promoting Citizen Engagement in Assessing the Ecological Status of Ave River: A Case Study in Northern Portugal
Not relevant to microplastics — this Portuguese study assessed the ecological health of a river using biological and chemical indicators and recruited citizen scientists to help monitor water quality, with no focus on microplastics.
Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Critical Review of Sources, Transport Mechanisms and Ecotoxicological Risks
This review provides a broad overview of microplastic pollution in rivers, oceans, and other aquatic environments, covering where these particles come from, how they move through water systems, and the harm they can cause. Evidence indicates that microplastics accumulate toxins and disrupt growth, feeding, and reproduction in aquatic species, with potential consequences for human health through seafood and drinking water. The authors stress the need for better global monitoring, stronger waste management systems, and development of eco-friendly plastic alternatives.
Interventions of river network structures on urban aquatic microplastic footprint from a connectivity perspective
Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution in a typical urban river network in Nanjing, China, using multiple detection methods and the Renkonen similarity index to assess how river infrastructure structures such as dams and sluices influence microplastic spatial variability and footprint from a connectivity perspective.