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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Quantifying bubble-mediated transport by ebullition from aquatic sediments
ClearEffects of microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions and microbial communities in sediment of freshwater systems
Researchers found that PET microplastics of different sizes significantly affected greenhouse gas emissions and microbial communities in freshwater sediments, with smaller particles (5 micrometers) notably increasing methane emissions and altering nutrient cycling over 90 days.
A Study of the Effects of Microplastics on Microbial Communities in Marine Sediments
This study investigated how the presence of microplastics in marine sediments affects microbial communities and, specifically, the methane cycle, finding that microplastics significantly altered microbial community structure and function. Since marine sediment microbes play a critical role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic contamination could have broader climate-relevant effects beyond direct toxicity.
Empirical evaluation of the strength and deformation characteristics of natural and synthetic gas hydrate-bearing sediments with different ranges of porosity, hydrate saturation, effective stress, and strain rate
Not relevant to microplastics — this paper evaluates the mechanical strength and deformation of gas hydrate-bearing deep-sea sediments, relevant to methane extraction and the global carbon cycle but not to plastic pollution.
Disentangling microplastics effects on soil structure, microbial activity and greenhouse gas emissions
Researchers studied how microplastics affect soil structure, microbial activity, and greenhouse gas emissions, finding complex interactions that depend on microplastic type and concentration. The presence of microplastics in soils can alter the biological processes that regulate carbon storage and nutrient cycling.
Microplastics and their mechanisms in influencing methane oxidation: A physiological and ecological perspective
This review examines the physiological and ecological mechanisms by which microplastics influence methane oxidation processes in the environment, synthesising current understanding of how ubiquitous plastic contamination may disrupt microbial communities responsible for mitigating methane — a greenhouse gas 20-30 times more potent than CO2.
Seafloor sediments as microplastic sinks in the northern Baltic Sea – Negligible upward transport of buried microplastics by bioturbation
A mesocosm experiment with Baltic Sea benthic invertebrates found that bioturbation caused negligible upward transport of buried microplastics from 2 cm and 5 cm depth, with <2% of particles returning to the surface. The results indicate that once microplastics are deposited in marine sediments, bioturbation is unlikely to re-introduce them to the water column, supporting sediments as effective long-term sinks.
Methane Production Mechanism and Control Strategies for Sewers: A Critical Review
Not relevant to microplastics — this review covers methane production mechanisms in urban sewer systems and strategies such as oxygen injection and iron dosing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater infrastructure.
Microplastics in turbidity currents: transport and sedimentation
Researchers investigated the transport and sedimentation behavior of microplastics within turbidity currents, examining how these high-density submarine sediment gravity flows carry MP particles from continental shelves to deep-sea environments and what controls where MPs ultimately deposit.
Study on the release of microplastic particles with different particle sizes in sediments caused by wave-induced liquefaction
Researchers found that wave-induced sediment liquefaction in estuarine delta regions can release previously buried microplastic particles back into the water column, with release rates varying significantly by particle size.
Concentration-dependent effects of polystyrene microplastics on methanogenic activity and microbial community shifts in sewer sediment
This study tested how polystyrene microplastics affect methane-producing microbes in sewer sediments and found that low concentrations boosted methane production by over 200%, while higher concentrations had a smaller stimulating effect. The findings matter for wastewater management because microplastics entering sewer systems could alter greenhouse gas emissions and disrupt the microbial processes that treatment plants rely on.
A transport mechanism for deep-sea microplastics: Hydroplaning of clay-laden sediment gravity flows
Researchers used laboratory flume experiments to show that clay-laden sediment gravity flows can transport microplastics to deep-sea environments via hydroplaning, a mechanism distinct from sand-laden flows and capable of carrying particles much further into the ocean interior.
Impact of microplastics on riverine greenhouse gas emissions: a view point
This viewpoint examines how microplastic accumulation in rivers may alter microbial communities and disrupt biogeochemical cycles, potentially increasing greenhouse gas emissions such as methane and nitrous oxide from riverine ecosystems, identifying this as a critical but underexplored consequence of freshwater microplastic pollution.
Tracing the Century‐Long Evolution of Microplastics Deposition in a Cold Seep
Researchers traced a century of microplastic deposition in a deep-sea cold seep, finding that burial rates increased significantly since the 1930s in non-seepage areas, while methane seepage zones showed lower microplastic levels, suggesting potential microbial degradation of plastics.
New Perspective on the Mobilization of Microplastics through Capillary Fringe Fluctuation in a Tidal Aquifer Environment
Researchers found that dynamic fluctuations of the capillary fringe in tidal environments can mobilize and transport microplastics through subsurface sediments, revealing a previously overlooked pathway for microplastic migration in coastal and intertidal zones.
Effects of microplastics on sedimentary greenhouse gas emissions and underlying microbiome-mediated mechanisms: A comparison of sediments from distinct altitudes
Researchers compared how PVC and polylactic acid microplastics affect greenhouse gas emissions from river sediments at different altitudes along the Yellow River. The study found that both types of microplastics increased carbon dioxide emissions by promoting the growth of organic-matter-degrading microbes, while PVC specifically boosted nitrous oxide emissions by enriching denitrifying bacteria.
Microplastic transport, deposition and burial in seafloor sediments by turbidity currents
This conference abstract describes how turbidity currents — underwater avalanches of sediment-laden water — can transport microplastics from submarine canyon heads to deep seafloor basins, creating localized hotspots of plastic accumulation. This mechanism may explain why deep-sea sediments contain some of the highest microplastic concentrations measured anywhere on Earth.
Modelled broad-scale shifts on seafloor ecosystem functioning due to microplastic effects on bioturbation
This study modelled how microplastic contamination of marine sediments affects bioturbation — the mixing of sediment by bottom-dwelling organisms — and the cascading effects on seafloor ecosystem functions like nutrient cycling. The model predicts that in MP-contaminated sediments, organic matter accumulates in the oxygen-rich zone, stimulating aerobic respiration by around 18%. These results suggest microplastics can reshape fundamental biogeochemical processes in seafloor ecosystems at broad scales, with implications for ocean carbon and nutrient cycling.
Microplastics promote methane emission in estuarine and coastal wetlands
This study found that microplastics in coastal and estuarine wetlands increase methane emissions by boosting the activity of methane-producing microorganisms while reducing methane-consuming ones. Both conventional and biodegradable plastics had this effect, meaning microplastic pollution is not just a direct health concern but also contributes to climate change by amplifying greenhouse gas release from natural ecosystems.
CH4 and CO2 Emissions from the Decomposition of Microplastics in the Bottom Sediment—Preliminary Studies
Preliminary experiments measured CO2 and methane emissions from decomposing microplastics (PVC, PP, and rubber) in water-saturated bottom sediments, finding measurable greenhouse gas production that varied by polymer type and plasticizer content. The results suggest that microplastic accumulation in aquatic sediments may represent a previously unaccounted source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Impacts and mechanism of biodegradable microplastics on lake sediment properties, bacterial dynamics, and greenhouse gasses emissions
Researchers found that biodegradable PBAT microplastics in lake sediments increased greenhouse gas emissions more than conventional polyethylene microplastics, altering sediment properties and microbial communities in ways that enhanced carbon dioxide and methane production.
Is soft-sediments ecosystem service delivery compromised due to microplastic pollution?
This review examines how microplastic pollution may compromise ecosystem service delivery in soft-sediment habitats, focusing on potential impacts on microphytobenthic microbial communities that underpin nutrient cycling, sediment stabilization, and food web productivity. The authors argue that because soft sediments act as microplastic sinks, their resident microbial communities face disproportionate exposure, and call for holistic research linking microplastic effects on microbial diversity and biogeochemical function to broader ecosystem service outcomes.
Microplastic accelerate the phosphorus-related metabolism of bacteria to promote the decomposition of methylphosphonate to methane
Researchers found that microplastics accelerate phosphorus-related metabolism in marine bacteria, promoting the decomposition of methylphosphonate to methane in oxygenated water and revealing a previously unknown mechanism linking plastic pollution to greenhouse gas production.
Microplastics Amplify Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Freshwater Sediments through Synergistic Interactions
A large-scale aquatic microcosm experiment with 1264 containers found that greater microplastic chemical diversity — more types of polymers together — significantly amplified greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater sediments, with warming temperature further compounding the effect.
Biochar mitigates biodegradable microplastic-induced greenhouse gas emissions in lake sediments: Unraveling microbial mechanisms and particle-size effects
Researchers investigated how biochar addition to lake sediments mitigates greenhouse gas emissions caused by biodegradable microplastics (PBAT), finding that both bulk and nano-biochar suppress CO2 and methane emissions by modulating sediment pH, redox potential, and the microbial communities responsible for methanogenesis.