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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Preliminary investigation of microplastic presence in the Zinzùlusa show-cave
ClearThe invisible environmental impact of tourism in show caves: microplastic pollution in three Italian show caves
This study found microplastic contamination in sediment deposits of three show caves in northwestern Italy, including a cave that serves as a drinking water reservoir. The results show that even remote underground ecosystems are not protected from microplastic pollution, posing potential risks to groundwater quality.
Underground Geodiversity of Italian Show Caves: an Overview
Researchers surveyed Italy's 64 tourist-accessible show caves, cataloguing their rich geological diversity across limestone, gypsum, and marble formations; while not directly about microplastics, these fragile underground environments are increasingly monitored as pollution indicators for groundwater contamination.
(Micro-)Plastics in Saturated and Unsaturated Groundwater Bodies: First Evidence of Presence in Groundwater Fauna and Habitats
Researchers investigated microplastic contamination in three Italian groundwater systems, including karst caves and an alluvial aquifer, providing early evidence that microplastics are present in underground water habitats. The study also found that groundwater-dwelling invertebrates had ingested microplastic particles, raising concerns about pollution impacts on these fragile and largely unstudied ecosystems.
Microplastics in Pristine Caves of the Classic Karst (NE Italy): A First Assessment of Contamination Levels
Researchers conducted the first assessment of microplastic contamination in pristine, remote cave systems in the Classic Karst region of northeastern Italy. The study found microplastics present even in extremely isolated underground environments hydraulically connected to the Reka/Timavo River, demonstrating the pervasive reach of microplastic pollution into previously uncontaminated ecosystems.
Microplastic pollution calls for urgent investigations in stygobiont habitats: A case study from Classical karst
Researchers examined microplastic pollution in karst cave systems in the Classical Karst region, finding that these underground habitats harbor significant contamination. The study suggests that vulnerable cave-dwelling species may be consuming microplastics, which could undermine conservation efforts for protected groundwater ecosystems and the species that depend on them.
Preliminary investigations of microplastic pollution in karst systems, from surface watercourses to cave waters
This study collected water samples from surface streams and connected cave waters in a karst system in Italy to document microplastic pollution in groundwater-linked environments. Microplastics including fibers and fragments were detected throughout the karst system, demonstrating that plastics infiltrate even protected underground aquifers.
Microplastic pollution in show cave sediments: First evidence and detection technique
Microplastic particles were detected for the first time in the sediments of a show cave in Spain, establishing that caves and karst aquifers are not insulated from surface plastic pollution and that sediment deposition in these environments can archive records of microplastic contamination.
Microplastic pollution in vulnerable karst environments: case study from the Slovenian classical karst region
Researchers sampled karst springs, caves, and other habitats in Slovenia's classical karst region and detected microplastics across multiple sites, including springs used for drinking water, raising concerns about plastic contamination of these ecologically sensitive and hydrologically connected underground environments.
Plastics underground: microplastic pollution in South African freshwater caves and associated biota
Scientists discovered microplastic contamination in underground freshwater caves in South Africa, including in cave water, sediment, and small crustaceans living there. This finding is notable because it shows microplastics have reached even remote, subterranean environments, and cave-dwelling animals are ingesting them.
Microplastics in caves: A new threat in the most famous geo-heritage in the world. Analysis and comparison of Italian show caves deposits
Italian show caves were found to contain microplastics throughout their sediments, with tourist areas having higher concentrations (average 4300 items/kg) than non-tourist areas (2570 items/kg), dominated by sub-millimeter polyester and polyolefin fibres.
Quantifying anthropogenic microparticle contamination in cave sediments: spatial heterogeneity matters
Microplastics and other anthropogenic particles were quantified in cave sediments, providing a record of atmospheric and terrestrial contamination reaching underground environments. The presence of microplastics in caves demonstrates the pervasive spread of plastic pollution into even secluded geological environments.
First record of microplastic in the environmental matrices of a Mediterranean marine cave (Bue Marino, Sardinia, Italy)
Researchers documented the first occurrence of microplastics — primarily PVC and polyethylene fragments and fibers — in the water, sediment, and benthic foraminifera of a Mediterranean marine cave in Sardinia, suggesting the particles entered predominantly from the sea rather than from the cave's freshwater system.
Lost in the Dark: Current Evidence and Knowledge Gaps About Microplastic Pollution in Natural Caves
This systematic review summarizes emerging evidence on microplastic pollution inside natural caves, an environment most people would not expect to be contaminated. The findings reveal that microplastics have reached even these remote underground ecosystems through water flow and air circulation, highlighting just how widespread plastic pollution has become.
Above and in the underground: Linking microplastic patterns in cave and surface crustaceans along a karst river stretch
This pilot study compared microplastic contamination in surface-dwelling and cave-dwelling crustaceans (amphipods and isopods) from the same karst river in Slovenia. Both surface and cave species contained microplastics, indicating that even subterranean habitats receive contamination, likely via the sinking river system.
Microplastic pollution in different environmental matrices of Tyrrhenian Sea' marine caves
Researchers investigated microplastic pollution across multiple matrices including water, sediment, and biota within Tyrrhenian Sea marine caves, quantifying anthropogenic pressures in this previously unstudied habitat and providing data to inform conservation and protection of these biodiversity hotspot environments.
The problem of anthropogenic microfibres in karst systems: Assessment of water and submerged sediments
Researchers assessed anthropogenic microfiber contamination in karst cave systems by analyzing water and submerged sediment samples. They found that both synthetic and natural microfibres were widespread throughout the karst environments, with sediments accumulating higher concentrations than water samples. The study raises concerns about microfiber pollution reaching underground water systems that serve as important drinking water reserves.
Assessing microplastic pollution in Mediterranean marine caves: a proposal for a methodological approach from sampling to analysis
Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in Mediterranean marine caves — biodiversity hotspots protected under EU legislation — proposing a standardized methodological approach covering sampling design, extraction, and identification. The study provides the first framework tailored to these structurally complex habitats and demonstrates that microplastic contamination is present even in these protected environments.
Microplastics in groundwater: a global analysis
Researchers conducted a global groundwater sampling study — collecting approximately 300 litres per site from caves, boreholes, monitoring wells, and surface springs worldwide using a standardised filtration protocol — to characterise microplastic contamination in these poorly studied anoxic systems. The study presented first results aimed at closing a major knowledge gap about microplastic transport and fate in global groundwater resources.
Microplastic particles investigation in karst aquifer (Zvenigorod, Russia)
Researchers investigated microplastic particle presence and distribution in a karst aquifer near Zvenigorod, Russia, finding that single-use plastics and inadequate waste management are contributing to groundwater MP contamination even in this relatively protected geological setting.
Distribution and Abundance of Microplastics in Underground Rivers in the South Malang Karst Area: First Evidence in Indonesia
Researchers documented microplastic contamination in underground rivers within a karst limestone region of South Malang, Indonesia, providing the first evidence of such pollution in the country's groundwater systems. They detected microplastics in all water samples, with fibers being the dominant type. The findings challenge the assumption that karst rock formations act as natural filters, suggesting that surface plastic pollution can penetrate into underground water sources.
Exploring microplastic pollution in the pristine Ghar-e-Tangi cave: First evidence from Pakistan’s subterranean ecosystem
This study provided the first evidence of microplastic contamination in the sediments of Ghar-e-Tangi, a remote cave in Balochistan, Pakistan, with microplastics detected at all three sampling sites along an entrance-to-interior gradient, suggesting atmospheric deposition as a key transport pathway into subterranean ecosystems.
Microplastics in karstic systems: a review of sources, transport paths and storage
This repository contains geospatial data and bibliographic records supporting a review of microplastic pollution in karst (limestone cave and sinkhole) systems, mapping where microplastics have been detected across these ecologically important groundwater environments. Karst systems supply drinking water to roughly a quarter of the world's population, making microplastic contamination there a significant but understudied human health concern.
Seasonal dynamics and typology of microplastic pollution in Huixian karst wetland groundwater: Implications for ecosystem health
Researchers tracked microplastic levels in groundwater beneath a karst wetland in China across seasons, finding contamination ranging from about 1 to 49 particles per liter. The unique cave-and-underground-river geology of karst regions allows microplastics to migrate from the surface into groundwater more easily than in other terrains, with agricultural runoff and domestic wastewater identified as the main pollution sources.
Explorations in the dark continent: Did microplastics and microfibres get here before us?
Researchers investigated previously unexplored caves to determine whether microplastic pollution has reached underground environments that humans have never entered. They found microplastics and microfibers present even in these pristine subterranean habitats, carried in by water flow and air currents. The findings demonstrate that microplastic contamination extends to some of Earth's most remote and isolated environments.