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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Drought and Groundwater Development
ClearGroundwater systems under siege: The silent invasion of microplastics and cock-tails worldwide
This review reveals that groundwater, a critical drinking water source for billions of people, is increasingly contaminated with microplastics from surface pollution seeping downward through soil. Unlike ocean and river pollution, groundwater microplastic contamination has received far less research attention, leaving major gaps in understanding how plastics migrate underground. The findings are alarming because contaminated groundwater directly enters drinking water supplies with little to no treatment in many regions.
A Global Review of Microplastic Contamination in Groundwater: Empirical Evidence and Latin American Perspectives
Scientists reviewed 129 studies and found that tiny pieces of plastic (called microplastics) are contaminating groundwater around the world, which is concerning because groundwater provides drinking water to billions of people. The research shows we don't know enough about this problem, especially in Latin America where only two studies have actually tested groundwater for plastic contamination. This matters because we need better monitoring and policies to protect our underground water sources from plastic pollution that could affect human health.
Microplastics Pollution in the Groundwater of Three Land Use Types, Southeastern Hungary
Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in groundwater across three land use types in southeastern Hungary, providing data on the rate and distribution of microplastic contamination in a freshwater resource that has received far less study than surface water bodies.
Review of Current Issues and Management Strategies of Microplastics in Groundwater Environments
This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic contamination in groundwater, identifying it as a substantially understudied environment compared to surface water and marine systems. The authors describe pathways by which microplastics enter aquifers and discuss management strategies for this largely invisible contamination route.
Topical Collection: International Year of Groundwater—managing future societal and environmental challenges
Researchers and hydrogeologists highlight the growing importance of groundwater in the global water cycle and call for better assessment, management, and public communication strategies to meet the UN's water-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Microplastic accumulation in groundwater: Data-scaled insights and future research
This data-driven review of nearly 400 groundwater samples worldwide found that microplastics are present in both shallow and deep groundwater, with open groundwater sources showing higher contamination than enclosed aquifers. The findings are relevant to human health because groundwater supplies drinking water for billions of people, and the study identifies key gaps in our understanding of how microplastics accumulate underground.
Groundwater in the age of plastic
This review examines microplastic contamination of groundwater globally, synthesizing studies on occurrence, transport pathways through soil and aquifer matrices, and the emerging implications for drinking water safety and groundwater ecosystem health.
Groundwater resources: Challenges & solutions
This review examined the global challenges facing groundwater resources, including over-extraction, contamination by agricultural chemicals and microplastics, and salinization. It assessed emerging solutions including managed aquifer recharge, advanced monitoring, and international governance frameworks for sustainable groundwater management.
How soil moisture and flow regime drive microplastic transport in the vadose zone: insight from modelling and column experiments
Scientists studied how tiny plastic particles move through soil toward underground water sources that we use for drinking water. They found that plastic particles travel very differently depending on how wet or dry the soil is - sometimes getting trapped, other times moving quickly through the ground. This research helps us better understand how microplastics might contaminate our groundwater supplies, which is important for protecting drinking water quality.
Global status, risk assessment, and knowledge gaps of microplastics in groundwater: A bibliometric analysis
This review analyzed 215 published studies on microplastics in groundwater and found that this area of research is still in its early stages compared to surface water studies. Evidence indicates that microplastic contamination is present in groundwater worldwide, but sampling methods and reported results vary widely. The authors identified significant knowledge gaps in understanding how microplastics move through underground water systems and what risks they may pose to drinking water sources.
The Urgent Need to Investigate Microplastic Contamination in Groundwater: Soil and Groundwater Interactions as Key Drivers
This viewpoint paper argued for urgent investigation of microplastic contamination in groundwater, highlighting soil-groundwater interactions as key drivers of subsurface MP transport and emphasizing the gap in current monitoring efforts.
Future Global Groundwater Quality Challenges
This review outlines emerging and legacy groundwater quality challenges that threaten drinking water security globally, including microplastic contamination alongside chemical and microbial pollutants. The authors call for improved monitoring and treatment infrastructure to protect future groundwater supplies.
A bibliometric analysis on microplastic pollution in groundwater
Researchers conducted a bibliometric analysis of publications on microplastic contamination in groundwater, identifying 695 relevant studies published between 2011 and 2022. They found that while microplastic research has surged overall, groundwater as a specific focus area remains significantly understudied compared to ocean and surface water environments. The study highlights critical knowledge gaps in understanding how microplastics transport through and contaminate subsurface water sources.
Groundwater resources: challenges and future opportunities
Researchers reviewed the major challenges and future opportunities in managing groundwater — a critical global water resource — emphasizing that sustainable use requires integrating new technologies, improved governance, and awareness of social, economic, and environmental factors unique to each region.
Global distribution, drivers, and potential hazards of microplastics in groundwater: A review
This review maps the global distribution of microplastics in groundwater and finds that contamination is widespread, with fiber-shaped particles and polyethylene being the most common types detected. The study highlights that climate change and local geology play underappreciated roles in how microplastics move through soil into groundwater, which is a drinking water source for billions of people worldwide.
A review of the influence mechanisms of climate-induced events on groundwater microplastic contamination: A focus on aquifer vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies
This narrative review examines how climate change events — floods, droughts, sea level rise, and heat waves — are influencing the transport and accumulation of microplastics in groundwater and freshwater aquifers. Flooding emerged as the most significant driver, flushing surface microplastics into subsurface environments, which is alarming because groundwater is a primary drinking water source for billions of people globally.
Understanding Microplastic Pollution in Groundwater: Pathways, Health Implications and Solutions
This review examines how microplastics infiltrate groundwater systems through pathways including landfills, agricultural runoff, water treatment facilities, and aging plastic pipes. Researchers found that once in groundwater, microplastics can persist for long periods and degrade water quality while interacting with other subsurface contaminants. The study highlights that groundwater microplastic contamination is an underappreciated threat to one of humanity's most important freshwater sources.
An Overview of Microplastic Contamination in Groundwater: Sources, Transport Pathways, and Environmental Implications
This review examined microplastic contamination in groundwater systems, an area that has received less research attention compared to surface water. Researchers identified key sources and transport pathways for microplastics entering groundwater, including infiltration through soil and fractured rock, and highlighted the environmental implications for drinking water supplies.
Current status of researches on microplastics in groundwater and perspectives
This review examines the current status of microplastic research in groundwater systems internationally, identifying that despite growing attention to microplastics in surface and marine waters, groundwater investigations remain sparse both in South Korea and globally. Researchers diagnosed gaps in monitoring methodology and management frameworks, proposing directions for more effective groundwater microplastic assessment.
Groundwater Pollution and Contamination: Sources, Impacts, Management, and the Integration of AI/ML for Future Solutions
This review covers the sources, health impacts, and management strategies for groundwater pollution, including contamination from agricultural runoff, industrial waste, and landfill leachate. While broadly focused on water quality, the paper is relevant to microplastic concerns because contaminated groundwater is a drinking water source for billions of people, and emerging pollutants including microplastics are increasingly found in these systems.
Microplastics contamination of groundwater: Current evidence and future perspectives. A review
This review examines the current evidence on microplastic contamination of groundwater, which supplies drinking water to over 2 billion people worldwide. Researchers found that microplastics can reach groundwater through atmospheric deposition, surface water interaction, urban infrastructure, and agricultural soils, though detection remains challenging. The study proposes a new "Hydrogeoplastic Model" framework and calls for improved detection methods to better characterize microplastic fate in aquifer systems.
Research advances of micro/nanoplastics in groundwater: occurrence, environmental impacts and control strategies
This review examines the emerging issue of microplastic and nanoplastic contamination in groundwater systems, covering their sources, distribution patterns, potential environmental risks, and removal strategies. Researchers highlight that the strong heterogeneity and complexity of underground environments make studying microplastic migration particularly challenging. The study identifies significant knowledge gaps in sampling methods and calls for more research into how microplastics move through groundwater aquifers.
Urban and Groundwater Microplastic Contamination: Sources, Distribution, Impacts, and Remediation Technologies
This review addressed microplastic contamination in urban environments and groundwater systems, covering source pathways from roads and stormwater runoff, distribution through urban catchments, and potential impacts on drinking water aquifers. It highlighted groundwater as an understudied but critical exposure pathway.
Contamination, morphological and chemical characterization, and hazard risk analyses of microplastics in drinking water sourced from groundwater in a developing nation
Researchers analyzed groundwater from six coastal districts in a developing nation and found widespread microplastic contamination, with fibers and fragments of polyethylene and polypropylene being the most common types. Since groundwater is the primary drinking water source in many developing countries, this contamination represents a direct pathway for microplastic ingestion by millions of people.