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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastic surface retention and mobility on hiking trails
ClearMicroplastic pollution on hiking and running trails in Australian protected environments
This study detected and characterized microplastics on hiking and trail running routes in Australian protected natural areas, finding that footwear and clothing shed significant quantities of synthetic microplastic fibers onto trails in ecologically sensitive environments.
Plastics on the rocks: the invisible but harmful footprint of shoe soles
This study found that shoe soles worn on a short mountain hiking trail shed significant quantities of microplastic particles, contaminating the path and surrounding vegetation. The finding reveals that recreational outdoor activities are an overlooked source of microplastic pollution even in protected natural areas.
Examining sampling protocols for microplastics on recreational trails
This study developed and tested sampling protocols for detecting microplastics on hiking and trail running routes in nature reserves. Microplastics were found on trail surfaces, likely shed from synthetic clothing, footwear, and equipment used by outdoor recreationists. The findings highlight recreational trails as an underappreciated source of microplastic contamination in natural areas.
Horizontal transport of macro- and microplastics on soil surface by rainfall induced surface runoff as affected by vegetations
Researchers investigated how rainfall-induced surface runoff transports macro- and microplastics across soil surfaces, finding that vegetation cover significantly reduces plastic transport while plastic size, density, and rainfall intensity also influence horizontal movement.
Trail running events contribute microplastic pollution to conservation and wilderness areas
Using before-after-control-impact sampling at a trail running event in an Australian conservation area, researchers found that the event significantly increased microplastic concentrations on trails compared to control sites, with synthetic clothing and footwear identified as the primary sources.
An Examination of Microplastic Pollution in Protected Areas from Outdoor Recreation
Microplastics were found in soils from protected natural areas frequently visited by outdoor recreationists, suggesting that even conservation lands and wilderness parks are not insulated from plastic pollution carried in by human visitors.
Contributing to the assessment of the impact of urban activities on microplastic transport through air and runoff infiltration
Researchers investigated the contribution of urban activities to microplastic transport through both airborne pathways and stormwater runoff infiltration, quantifying plastic particle fluxes in an urban watershed. The study found that road surfaces, construction materials, and tire wear were significant urban sources, with rainfall events mobilizing microplastics into both air and subsurface water.
Soil erosion as transport pathway of microplastic from agriculture soils to aquatic ecosystems
Researchers simulated heavy rainfall events on agricultural soils containing microplastics and tracked particle transport through runoff and erosion, finding that soil erosion is a significant pathway for moving agricultural microplastics into adjacent water bodies, with particle size and shape governing transport distance.
Transport and Fate of Microplastics in Terrestrial Environments: The Role of Surface Runoff, Root-Mediated Infiltration, and Fragmentation-Driven Mobility
Researchers investigated the transport and fate of microplastics in terrestrial environments through three key processes -- surface runoff, root-mediated infiltration, and fragmentation-driven mobility -- applying classical sediment transport principles to microplastic movement. Field studies and laboratory experiments examined how particle characteristics such as density, size, and shape influence microplastic distribution across agricultural and natural landscapes.
Horizontal transport characteristics of microplastics under simulated hydrodynamic conditions
Researchers systematically investigated the horizontal transport of microplastics across soil surfaces under simulated hydrodynamic conditions using 1 µm polystyrene particles and quartz sand. The study identified surface runoff scouring as a key pathway by which microplastics are mobilized and distributed laterally through terrestrial environments.
Rainfall is a significant environmental factor of microplastic pollution in inland waters
Researchers investigated the role of rainfall as a driver of microplastic pollution in inland waters, a factor that had been largely overlooked in previous studies focused on human activities. The study found that rainfall is a significant environmental factor influencing microplastic distribution in freshwater systems, suggesting that non-anthropogenic processes play an important role in how microplastics move through watersheds.
Quantifying the movement of microplastics in soil in response to overland flow and splash erosion
Researchers quantified how overland flow and raindrop splash erosion mobilize and transport microplastics from soil surfaces. Both processes moved microplastic particles, with splash being particularly effective at short distances and overland flow dominating transport over larger areas. Understanding these erosion-driven transport processes is important for predicting how microplastics move from agricultural fields into streams and rivers.
Understanding the overland transport of microplastics from agricultural soils to freshwater systems
This study investigated how microplastics move from agricultural soils to freshwater systems through surface runoff. Researchers found that rainfall intensity, soil type, and particle characteristics all influenced how much plastic reached waterways. Understanding the overland transport pathway is important because agricultural soils are one of the largest reservoirs of microplastics in terrestrial environments.
Catchment-scale mechanistic predictions of microplastic transport and distribution across land and water
Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model successfully predicting microplastic transport from land to water, validated against field data, revealing how soil accumulation, runoff dynamics, and in-stream transport interact to determine where microplastics concentrate before reaching the ocean.
Assessment of microplastic transport and distribution in the urban environment of Coimbra municipality
Researchers tracked microplastic transport and distribution across five urban watersheds in Coimbra, Portugal, sampling atmospheric deposition, runoff, and streams before and during rainfall. Wet deposition carried more MPs than dry deposition, stream concentrations nearly doubled during rain events, and more urbanized, smaller watersheds had higher MP loads.
Deposition and in-situ translocation of microplastics in floodplain soils
A study of microplastic deposition and in-situ vertical translocation in floodplain soils found that flooding events deposit microplastics from river water onto floodplain surfaces, and that subsequent rainfall and bioturbation can move particles downward through the soil profile.
The urban microplastic footprint: investigating the distribution and transport
Researchers investigated the distribution and transport of microplastics within an urban environment, mapping the 'urban microplastic footprint' to understand how city infrastructure and land use patterns drive the spatial distribution and downstream export of plastic particles to receiving water bodies.
Estimating microplastic flows across rural-urban gradients in a French catchment
Researchers estimated microplastic flows across rural-urban gradients in a French catchment, examining how land use and urbanization influence the transport and distribution of microplastic particles through the watershed system.
Deposition and in-situ translocation of microplastics in floodplain soils
This study examined how microplastics deposit and move through floodplain soils during flooding events, finding that floods both deposit and redistribute microplastics in agricultural and riparian soils. The findings help explain how microplastic pollution spreads from rivers into surrounding terrestrial environments.
Microplastic Transport by Overland Flow: Effects of Soil Texture and Slope Gradient Under Simulated Semi-Arid Conditions
Using rainfall simulation experiments across soils of varying texture and slope gradients, researchers studied how overland flow transports microplastics of different shapes and sizes, finding that soil texture and slope angle significantly influenced MP runoff distance and concentration.
Horizontal and vertical mobilisation of microplastics in agricultural soils: run-off and infiltration experiments
Researchers measured the horizontal runoff and vertical leaching of microplastics from agricultural mulching films in field plots, quantifying transport under simulated rainfall. Both transport pathways were significant, with particle size and soil properties influencing how far microplastics moved from their source.
Urban wash-off of tire wear particles
Researchers used a rainfall simulator to study how tire wear particles, an important class of microplastics, are washed off road surfaces during storm events. They found that low surface roughness, high rainfall intensity, and low slope produced the fastest and most complete mobilization of tire wear particles. The study reveals that larger tire particles moved faster than smaller ones, and flow depth was the most important factor governing wash-off behavior.
Subsurface transport of microplastic particles in gravel columns: Impacts of different rain events and particle characteristics
Researchers conducted column experiments using pre-stained microplastic particles of two density types in gravel sediment to investigate how different rainfall intensities and land-use scenarios influence the vertical transport and retention of microplastics in subsurface environments. The study found that both particle density and rainfall event characteristics significantly affected microplastic mobility through subsurface sediments, informing models of microplastic fate in soil-water systems.
Experimental study on the transport processes of different types of microplastics in rainfall runoff over urban road surface
Researchers investigated the transport of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and polypropylene microplastics in urban road runoff under varying rainfall intensities and slopes using simulated rainfall experiments. They found that rainfall intensity and slope significantly influence microplastic mobilization and entry into downstream water bodies.