Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Rivers as Conduits: A Comprehensive Model of Microplastic Fate and Transport

This study developed a comprehensive model of microplastic fate and transport in rivers, integrating processes of erosion, resuspension, sedimentation, and burial to simulate how microplastics move through river networks toward the ocean.

2024
Article Tier 2

Modeling the transport of microplastics along river networks

Researchers built a mathematical model to predict how microplastics travel through river networks, combining water flow dynamics with estimates of human plastic inputs. They tested the model against real-world data from three river systems worldwide and found it reliably predicted microplastic concentrations. The tool could help identify pollution hotspots and guide cleanup priorities across entire river basins.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

A numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition for fluvial systems

Researchers developed a numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in river systems, finding that rivers act as temporary sinks trapping significant fractions of MPs before they reach the ocean, with implications for estimating marine MP loading from terrestrial sources.

2025 Earth Surface Dynamics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring Macroplastic Transport and Retention Dynamics in Country-Wide River Networks

This modeling study examined how macroplastic debris is transported and retained in river networks across an entire country. The research found that riverbanks and floodplains trap large amounts of plastic debris, revealing complex dynamics that influence how much plastic ultimately reaches the ocean.

2023
Article Tier 2

Microplastic transport in European river networks

Researchers estimated the average annual load of microplastics transported to seas and oceans from 125 European catchments by coupling a mass balance model with a graph-theory river network model incorporating wastewater treatment plant effluents, surface runoff, and combined sewer overflows.

2024
Article Tier 2

Modelling Microplastic Transport in River Systems Using the SWAT Hydrological Model

Researchers developed a novel modelling approach using the SWAT hydrological model to simulate microplastic transport through river basin systems, integrating hydrological and physical plastic properties. The model provides a tool for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater microplastic pollution to support mitigation planning.

2025 Natural and Engineering Sciences
Article Tier 2

A numerical model of microplastic transport for fluvial systems

Researchers developed a reduced-complexity numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in fluvial systems, applying it to the river Têt in France and finding that a large proportion of microplastics become entrained in river sediments before reaching the ocean.

2024
Article Tier 2

Modeling microplastic dynamics in riverine systems: fate and transport analysis

Researchers developed a computer model to simulate how microplastics travel through river systems, accounting for how they enter from human activities and how they settle, resuspend, and deposit along riverbanks. The model was applied to the Tame River in the UK using four different scenarios based on plastic particle types like fibers, fragments, and pellets. The study provides a tool for predicting where microplastics accumulate in rivers, which could help target cleanup and monitoring efforts.

2025 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Modelling the Fate of Microplastics in river bed sediments.

Researchers modeled microplastic transport, deposition, and burial in river bed sediments under varying hydrological conditions. River bed sediments were found to act as long-term reservoirs for microplastics, with periodic high-flow events temporarily resuspending and redistributing particles.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A numerical model of microplastic transport for fluvial systems in the land-sea continuum

A reduced-complexity numerical model was developed to simulate how microplastics erode, transport, and deposit through river systems, applied to the Têt River in France. The model successfully reproduced observed microplastic fluxes and reveals that rivers likely act as significant reservoirs trapping plastic on its journey from land sources to the ocean, suggesting current estimates of marine microplastic inputs may be underestimates.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel modeling approaches to understand the fate and transport of microplastics in aquatic environment

This paper reviews novel modeling approaches for simulating microplastic fate and transport in aquatic environments, arguing that process-based and data-driven models are needed to complement field monitoring and improve risk assessments.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Dispersal and transport of microplastic particles under different flow conditions in riverine ecosystem

Researchers developed a particle-tracking model combined with hydrodynamic simulation to study how microplastics travel through river systems under different water flow conditions. They found that flow speed, turbulence, and river channel features significantly influence where microplastics accumulate and how far they travel. The study provides a useful tool for predicting microplastic transport patterns and identifying pollution hotspots in river ecosystems.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 80 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of nano- and microplastic in freshwater systems: A modeling study

Researchers modeled the transport and fate of plastic particles ranging from 100 nm to 10 mm in a river system, finding that mid-sized particles around 5 microns are retained least efficiently (only 18–25%), while both smaller nanoplastics and larger microplastics preferentially settle — with particle size having a far greater influence on river retention than polymer density or biofilm formation.

2016 Environmental Pollution 856 citations
Article Tier 2

Modelling the Fate of Microplastics in river bed sediments.

Researchers modeled the fate of microplastics deposited in river bed sediments, examining how hydrological conditions influence their distribution, burial, and potential for downstream transport. The models revealed that river bed sediments act as significant long-term reservoirs for microplastic pollution.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Quantifying the impact of biofouling on microplastic transport: a modeling study

Researchers developed a modeling study to quantify how biofouling -- the attachment of microorganisms to microplastic surfaces -- affects microplastic transport in river systems by altering particle size, shape, density, and settling velocity, using quantified data to simulate transport dynamics.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

A Lagrangian Model for Microplastics Transport in Rivers

Researchers developed a Lagrangian computational model to simulate how microplastics are transported through river systems, accounting for particle buoyancy, turbulence, and settling behavior. The model provides a tool for predicting microplastic fate and accumulation in freshwater environments.

2024 Jornadas de jóvenes investigadores del I3A
Article Tier 2

Modeling impacts of river hydrodynamics on fate and transport of microplastics in riverine environments

Researchers built a computer model to simulate how microplastics travel and transform in river systems, accounting for particle aggregation and breakage driven by water flow. They found that microplastics clump together significantly in the early stages after entering a river, which changes the size distribution of particles flowing downstream. The study suggests that river conditions play a major role in determining what size and form of microplastics eventually reach the ocean.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 26 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of water management and its effect on microplastic transport and fate

Researchers examined how water management practices affect the transport and fate of microplastics in river networks, which serve as both conduits and sinks for plastic pollution. The study found that flow regulation and water management interventions significantly influence how far microplastics travel and where they accumulate.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Transport processes of microplastic particles in the fluvial environment : erosion, transport and deposition

This thesis examines how microplastics are eroded, transported, and deposited in river systems, tracing their movement from land sources to the ocean. The research fills an important gap in understanding how rivers act as conduits for microplastic pollution and what processes determine where plastic particles accumulate in freshwater environments.

2020 RWTH Publications (RWTH Aachen) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Comment on egusphere-2024-2788

Researchers developed a reduced-complexity model to explore how microplastics are transported through fluvial systems from source to marine sink, investigating the potential for rivers to act as significant reservoirs of microplastic pollution. The study examines the trapping dynamics of microplastics within river systems, analogous to sediment transport, and assesses their global significance as microplastic stores.

2024