Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination and risk assessment in the biotic and abiotic components of freshwater Manasbal Lake, western Himalaya, India

Researchers assessed microplastic abundance and characteristics across abiotic and biotic compartments of Manasbal Lake in the western Himalayas, finding that MPs are pervasive even in remote mountain catchments and presenting risk assessment data for this understudied high-altitude freshwater ecosystem.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination and risk assessment in the biotic and abiotic components of freshwater Manasbal Lake, western Himalaya, India

Researchers assessed microplastic abundance and characteristics across abiotic and biotic compartments of Manasbal Lake in the western Himalayas, finding that MPs are pervasive even in remote mountain catchments and presenting risk assessment data for this understudied high-altitude freshwater ecosystem.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Triggers for the Impoverishment of the Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Human-Impacted Rivers of Two Central European Ecoregions

This study investigated triggers for macroinvertebrate community impoverishment in human-impacted rivers across two Central European ecoregions, finding that hydromorphological degradation and invasive species introduction were stronger drivers of biodiversity loss than water chemistry alone.

2021 Water Air & Soil Pollution 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and heavy metal contamination along a land-use gradient in a Himalayan foothill river: Prevalence and controlling factors

Researchers mapped microplastic and heavy metal contamination in a river flowing through India's Himalayan foothills, finding plastic particles at every sampling site. Concentrations were highest near industrial areas and human settlements, with polyethylene and polystyrene being the most common plastic types. The study shows how human activity drives plastic pollution even in relatively remote freshwater environments.

2024 Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

The Role of Landscape Configuration, Season, and Distance from Contaminant Sources on the Degradation of Stream Water Quality in Urban Catchments

A study of a Portuguese river basin found that landscape configuration and proximity to pollution point sources both affect stream macroinvertebrate communities. Macroinvertebrates are sensitive to microplastic pollution, and their decline in contaminated streams can indicate broader ecosystem degradation.

2019 Water 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Long-term trends in stream benthic macroinvertebrate communities are driven by chemicals

This paper is not about microplastics. It investigates long-term trends in stream macroinvertebrate communities in Germany from 2007 to 2021, finding that in-stream chemical pollution data explained about 50% of the variation in biodiversity changes over time. The study focuses on freshwater ecology and the effects of water chemistry, land use, and temperature on aquatic invertebrate diversity, with no specific focus on microplastic contamination.

2023 Environmental Sciences Europe 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying Microplastics Abundance and Their Implications as Vectors for Heavy Metal Adsorption in Freshwater Aquatic System of Kashmir Himalaya

Researchers measured microplastic abundance in both water and sediment of Manasbal Lake in the Kashmir Himalaya and examined how the particles interact with heavy metals. Microplastics were found throughout the lake and showed capacity to adsorb heavy metals, raising dual concerns about plastic particles and metal contamination in a sensitive Himalayan freshwater system.

2023
Article Tier 2

Distribution and characteristics of microplastics and phthalate esters from a freshwater lake system in Lesser Himalayas

Researchers surveyed a freshwater lake system in the Indian Himalayas and found microplastics in all water and sediment samples, with concentrations highest near areas of human activity. They also detected phthalate esters, chemical additives commonly found in plastics, at levels that correlated with microplastic abundance. The study provides the first evidence of significant microplastic and associated chemical contamination in this relatively remote Himalayan freshwater ecosystem.

2021 Chemosphere 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterisation of Plastics and their Relation to Benthic Organisms in Metsina Stream, Punakha Dzongkhag

Researchers characterised macro-, meso-, and microplastic pollution across upstream, midstream, and downstream sites of Metsina Stream in Bhutan's Punakha Dzongkhag and assessed the relationship between plastic presence and benthic macroinvertebrate communities. The study provided a baseline for freshwater plastic pollution in Bhutan and found associations between plastic abundance and altered benthic community composition.

2025 Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology
Article Tier 2

The effects of land‐use change on semi‐aquatic bugs (Gerromorpha, Hemiptera) in rainforest streams in Sabah, Malaysia

Not relevant to microplastics — this ecological study investigates how logging and conversion to oil palm plantation affects the abundance and diversity of semi-aquatic insects in streams in Sabah, Malaysia.

2024 Freshwater Biology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Community Structure of Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators of Water Quality in the Upstream Setail River, Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia

Researchers assessed the community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators of water quality in the upstream reach of the Setail River in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, which has experienced declining water quality due to surrounding human activities. The study used macroinvertebrate assemblage composition and diversity indices to characterize ecological status and identify pollution pressure along the river corridor.

2025 Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries
Article Tier 2

Identification of Aquatic Macro-invertebrates and Determination of E. coli and Heavy Metals in Rawal Lake, Pakistan

Researchers assessed water quality in Rawal Lake, Pakistan using aquatic macro-invertebrates as bioindicators alongside E. coli and heavy metal analysis, collecting samples from three sites and finding contamination levels indicative of anthropogenic pollution threatening this drinking water source for Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

2022 Lahore Garrison University Journal of Life Sciences
Article Tier 2

Anthropogenic and biological activities elevate microplastics pollution in headwater ecosystem of Yangtze tributaries in Hindu Kush-Himalayan region

Researchers investigated microplastic pollution in headwater streams of Yangtze tributaries in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region at elevations ranging from 900 to 3,300 meters. The study found that microplastic concentrations increased significantly at lower elevations where human activity is greater, and biological processes such as biofilm formation also contributed to microplastic accumulation.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution and characteristics of microplastics and associated contaminants from mid-altitude lake in NW Himalaya

Researchers documented microplastic contamination and associated phthalate esters in Rewalsar Lake in the Northwest Himalayas, demonstrating that even remote mid-altitude freshwater lakes are significantly affected by microplastic pollution.

2023 Chemosphere 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics abundance in abiotic and biotic components along aquatic food chain in two freshwater ecosystems of Pakistan

Researchers quantified microplastic abundance across multiple trophic levels in two Pakistani freshwater ecosystems, finding evidence of bioaccumulation along the food chain from water and sediment through invertebrates to fish species.

2022 Chemosphere 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in freshwater sediments: Effects on benthic invertebrate communities and ecosystem functioning assessed in artificial streams

Researchers tested the effects of polyethylene microplastics on freshwater invertebrate communities in artificial streams using environmentally relevant concentrations. They found that microplastics significantly reduced the abundance of deposit-feeding and grazing organisms by 31-50%, with chironomids and mayflies showing the highest ingestion of plastic particles.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinct dynamics in mountain watersheds: Exploring mercury and microplastic pollution—Unraveling the influence of atmospheric deposition, human activities, and hydrology

Researchers investigated mercury and microplastic co-contamination in mountain freshwater ecosystems, analyzing brown trout, biofilm, and sediment to assess geospatial distribution and identify pollution sources in high-altitude environments.

2023 Environmental Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of vulnerabilities of central himalayan springs towards microplastic pollution.

This research assessed how vulnerable springs in the central Himalayas are to microplastic contamination, identifying environmental and geographic factors that increase exposure risk. Mountain springs are critical drinking water sources for millions of people, so understanding their susceptibility to plastic pollution has direct public health implications.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and riverine macroinvertebrate communities in a multiple-stressor context: A mesocosm approach

Researchers conducted a seven-week experiment using streamside channels to study how microplastics of different sizes and concentrations affect freshwater invertebrate communities, both alone and combined with fine sediment. They found that microplastic effects on invertebrate abundance and community composition were generally modest compared to the well-known impacts of sediment pollution. The study suggests that in real-world streams facing multiple stressors, microplastics may not be the dominant threat to bottom-dwelling organisms.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of vulnerabilities of central himalayan springs towards microplastic pollution.

This research assessed how vulnerable springs in the central Himalayas are to microplastic contamination, identifying environmental and geographic factors that increase exposure risk. Mountain springs are critical drinking water sources for millions of people, so understanding their susceptibility to plastic pollution has direct public health implications.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the high-altitude Himalayas: Assessment of microplastic contamination in freshwater lake sediments, Northwest Himalaya (India)

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in sediments of freshwater Anchar Lake in the Kashmir Himalayas, finding an average of 606 particles per kilogram dominated by polyamide fibers, with domestic wastewater and textile sources identified as primary contributors.

2021 Chemosphere 166 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic and heavy metal contamination in sediments of the high-altitude Nundkol Lake of northwestern Himalayas-Kashmir

Researchers found both heavy metals and microplastics in the sediment of a remote high-altitude glacial lake in the Himalayas, with microplastic levels averaging 76 particles per kilogram of dry sediment — predominantly plastic fibers from nylon. The contamination is likely linked to tourism, trekking, and fishing activities in what was once considered a pristine wilderness area.

2024 Environmental Pollution and Management 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics pollution in the Brahmaputra River and the Indus River of the Indian Himalaya

Researchers sampled shoreline sediments of the Brahmaputra and Indus Rivers in the Indian Himalayas and found microplastics at all sites, with concentrations increasing downstream toward more populated areas, representing some of the first MP data for major Himalayan river systems.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 195 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic contamination and risk assessment in the biotic and abiotic components of freshwater Manasbal Lake, western Himalaya, India

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in both abiotic (water, sediment) and biotic (fish, invertebrates) components of Manasbal Lake in the western Himalaya, India, providing one of the first combined assessments of microplastic distribution in a remote mountain lake ecosystem. The study characterised microplastic abundance, morphology, and polymer types across compartments and conducted ecological risk assessments, finding measurable contamination despite the lake's remote location.

2025 ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH