Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Review of microplastics in lakes: sources, distribution characteristics, and environmental effects

This review analyzes microplastic pollution in lakes worldwide and finds that contamination levels are higher in shallower lakes near populated areas with more human activity. Microplastics accumulate heavily in lake sediments and can also be trapped in seasonal ice, only to be released during warming periods. Since many communities rely on lakes for drinking water and fishing, understanding how microplastics concentrate in these freshwater systems is critical for protecting public health.

2023 Carbon Research 77 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

Macroplastics in Lakes: An Underrepresented Ecological Problem?

This bibliometric review identified macroplastic pollution in lakes as a significantly understudied problem, noting that most research focuses on marine and riverine environments, and calling for standardized methodologies to better assess the ecological threat to freshwater lake ecosystems.

2022 Water 21 citations
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

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

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 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

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 in the Aquatic Environment: Overview of the Problem and Current Research Areas

This review summarizes the current state of microplastic research in aquatic environments, covering sources, distribution, ecological impacts, and knowledge gaps. The paper identifies priority research areas needed to better understand and manage microplastic contamination in water bodies.

2023 1 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)
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

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

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

Microplastics in Polish freshwater ecosystems: Current state of knowledge and research gaps

This review compiled and compared data on microplastic contamination in Polish freshwater ecosystems, analysing 65 aquatic systems (47 lakes, 13 rivers, and others) based on studies published up to 2024 to identify the current state of knowledge and research gaps.

2025 Journal of Water and Land Development
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 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
Systematic Review Tier 1

Microplastic contamination, an emerging threat to the freshwater environment: a systematic review

Researchers systematically reviewed the spread of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems — rivers, lakes, and streams — documenting their sources, how they move through water, the damage they cause to aquatic organisms, and the methods used to detect them. Their review serves as a baseline reference for future research and calls for improved waste management to protect freshwater environments from ongoing microplastic contamination.

2024 ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 98 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review of the emerging threats, identification of knowledge gaps and prioritisation of research needs

This review synthesizes the growing body of research on microplastic contamination in freshwater rivers, lakes, and sediments, which has received far less attention than marine environments. Researchers found that freshwater microplastic concentrations can rival or exceed those reported in ocean studies, particularly near urban and industrial areas. The study identifies critical knowledge gaps including the lack of standardized sampling methods and limited understanding of how microplastics affect freshwater organisms and ecosystems.

2015 Water Research 2541 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems: macro-, meso-, and microplastic debris in a floodplain lake

Researchers surveyed macro-, meso-, and microplastic debris in a South American floodplain lake and found an average of 704 microplastic particles per square meter in sediments, with plastic contamination comparable to marine beaches — demonstrating that freshwater lakes can be major plastic pollution reservoirs.

2017 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 308 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources, Occurrence, and Analysis of Microplastics in Freshwater Environments

This review summarizes current knowledge on microplastic sources and occurrence in freshwater environments, noting that freshwater systems are major conduits delivering microplastics to the ocean. The review highlights that freshwater microplastic research lags far behind marine studies despite rivers and lakes being primary pollution pathways.

2022 6 citations