Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Sedimentary microplastic concentrations from the Romanian Danube River to the Black Sea

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in sediments along the Danube River through the Danube Delta and into the Black Sea, finding that some isolated areas of the Delta still had relatively few plastic particles. The study helps clarify how microplastics move from major rivers into the ocean, an important step for estimating global ocean plastic loads.

2021 Scientific Reports 100 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of microplastic pollution in a large European river

Researchers sampled the Budapest reach of the Danube River at multiple water column depths using a Multilevel Manta net, finding an average microplastic concentration of 0.311 mg/m³ (142 particles/m³) dominated by polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene fragments, and estimating substantial microplastic mass flux that underscores the Danube's role as a major transport pathway for plastic pollution.

2026 Frontiers in Water
Article Tier 2

The first spatio-temporal study of the microplastics and meso–macroplastics transport in the Romanian Danube

This study measured microplastic transport in the Romanian section of the Danube River over multiple seasons, estimating up to 51 tonnes of microplastics flow through per year. Polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common types, and concentrations varied with seasonal water flow. Since the Danube supplies drinking water and supports fisheries for millions of people, this contamination level raises concerns about human exposure.

2024 Environmental Sciences Europe 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Knowledge of Methods for Assessing Surface Water Pollution with Microplastics and their Impact on Aquatic Species

This Romanian study reviewed methods for measuring microplastic contamination in surface water, particularly in deltaic ecosystems monitored for water quality. It proposes microplastics as a new indicator for ecological status assessments in river delta environments.

2019 SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología
Article Tier 2

Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of plastic particles in surface waters of the Western Black Sea

Researchers collected surface water samples from the Western Black Sea near the Danube Delta and Romanian shore, finding micro-, meso-, and macroplastic particles that may contribute significantly to Mediterranean marine pollution via the connecting waterway. Organic matter was digested and plastic particles were isolated and characterised to quantify and identify the polymer types present.

2020 Environmental Pollution 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Danube River and Its Main Tributaries—Ingestion by Freshwater Macroinvertebrates

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in the Danube River and its major tributaries and analyzed ingestion by freshwater fish species collected from multiple sites. Microplastics were detected in a significant proportion of fish, with ingestion rates correlating with local plastic contamination levels, documenting widespread plastic exposure across the Danube watershed's fish communities.

2024 Water 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic occurrence in coastal waters and aquatic faunas of the Western Black Sea

Researchers assessed microplastic occurrence in coastal waters and aquatic fauna of the Western Black Sea region receiving Danube River inputs, characterizing MP distributions in a coastal ecosystem under pressure from tourism, fishing, regional conflicts, and inadequate waste disposal across the Danube basin.

2024
Article Tier 2

Isolation of Microplastics from Freshwater Macroinvertebrates in the Danube River

Researchers isolated microplastics from three freshwater species — mollusks, worms, and midge larvae — collected from the Danube River during a major scientific survey. Using different organism types as biological monitors showed that microplastic contamination is widespread in the river's aquatic ecosystem.

2022 Facta Universitatis Series Medicine and Biology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Microplastics Presence in the Dambovita River

Researchers investigated the presence and distribution of microplastics in the Dambovita River, contributing to growing evidence of plastic pollution in freshwater systems across Romania.

2023 International Journal of Conservation Science 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the spatio-temporal behaviour of riverine plastic transport and its significance for flux determination: insights from direct measurements in the Austrian Danube River

This study analyzed the spatio-temporal behavior of plastic transport in rivers, examining how flow conditions, catchment characteristics, and seasonal variation influence plastic flux and retention within river systems.

2024 Frontiers in Earth Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparing Methods for Microplastic Quantification Using the Danube as a Model

Researchers compared microplastic detection yields using three different mesh-sized filtration methods (20, 65, and 105 µm) in surface waters of the Danube River delta, and also analyzed microplastic distribution across three depth levels. They found a negative logarithmic correlation between mesh size and detected particle count, with concentrations ranging from 46 particles per liter at 105 µm to 2,677 per liter at 20 µm, with polyethylene terephthalate as the most abundant polymer.

2023 Microplastics 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplasic measurements at the Danube river using a multi-level approach

Researchers measured microplastics in the Danube River using multiple sampling approaches at different scales, confirming that microplastics are present throughout the water column. Finer-scale analysis consistently revealed more particles than coarser methods. The findings support the use of multi-level sampling strategies to accurately assess microplastic contamination in major river systems.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

River Deltas as hotspots of microplastic accumulation: The case study of the Ebro River (NW Mediterranean)

The Ebro River delta in the northwestern Mediterranean was identified as a hotspot for microplastic accumulation, with concentrations in delta sediments far exceeding those in the open river channel upstream. River deltas, where flow slows and sediment deposits, appear to function as major trapping zones for riverborne microplastics before they reach the sea.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 290 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination of Fine-Grained Sediments and Its Environmental Driving Factors along a Lowland River: Three-Year Monitoring of the Tisza River and Central Europe

Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in fine-grained river sediments over three years (2020-2022) along a large river system, examining environmental driving factors including hydrology, land use, and sediment transport dynamics. The study found that hydrological and geomorphological processes are key determinants of where microplastics accumulate and are remobilized.

2024 Hydrology 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the influence of fluvial dynamics on the distribution and transport of microplastics.

Researchers studied how fluvial dynamics, including water flow, turbulence, and river morphology, influence microplastic distribution and transport in a river system. The study found that hydrological conditions strongly control where microplastics deposit and how they move through the watershed.

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

Comparison of microplastic intake in two fish species from different functional feeding groups in Europe's second-largest river

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in two fish species — bleak and round goby — along a 1,716 km transect of the Danube River using standardized sampling protocols. MPs were detected in both species across the entire river length, with contamination levels varying by species and location.

2025 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

Spatial analysis of the influence on “microplastic communities” in the water at a medium scale

Spatial analysis of microplastic communities in Hubei Province, China found that microplastics were more abundant in rivers than lakes (average 1.74 items/L), negatively correlated with distance from residential areas, and that anthropogenic land cover increased abundance while natural vegetation decreased it.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydro-geomorphological features govern the distribution, storage, and transport processes of riverbed microplastics

This study examined how river channel shape, water flow, and sediment dynamics control where microplastics accumulate, travel, and are stored in riverbeds. Identifying these hydro-geomorphological drivers is important for predicting microplastic transport to downstream ecosystems and the ocean.

2026 Mendeley Data
Article Tier 2

Hydro-geomorphological features govern the distribution, storage, and transport processes of riverbed microplastics

This study examined how river channel shape, water flow, and sediment dynamics control where microplastics accumulate, travel, and are stored in riverbeds. Identifying these hydro-geomorphological drivers is important for predicting microplastic transport to downstream ecosystems and the ocean.

2026 Mendeley Data
Article Tier 2

Microplastic is an Abundant and Distinct Microbial Habitat in an Urban River

Researchers demonstrated that microplastic surfaces in an urban river host a microbial community that is distinct from surrounding water and sediment communities, establishing microplastic as an abundant and ecologically distinct habitat for river microorganisms.

2014 Environmental Science & Technology 1428 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance, Distribution and Drivers of Microplastic Contaminant in Urban River Environments

Researchers surveyed microplastic distribution in urban river environments and identified key drivers of accumulation hotspots, finding that land use, hydrology, and infrastructure factors concentrated microplastics at predictable locations that could inform targeted management interventions.

2018 Preprints.org 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the influence of fluvial dynamics on the distribution and transport of microplastics.

Researchers studied how fluvial dynamics including flow velocity, turbulence, and river geomorphology influence the distribution and transport of microplastics in river systems. River hydrodynamics were found to be major determinants of where microplastics accumulate and how far they travel, with implications for predicting contamination patterns in river catchments.

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

Microplastic distribution in a meandering river bed and its sedimentary predictors

Researchers investigated microplastic distribution patterns within a meandering riverbed and identified sedimentary predictors of microplastic accumulation, advancing understanding of within-channel spatial variability that affects large-scale pollution quantification. The study found that specific geomorphological features of meandering channels are strong predictors of local microplastic hotspots in riverbed sediments.

2024
Article Tier 2

Deposition and Mobilization of Microplastics in a Low-Energy Fluvial Environment from a Geomorphological Perspective

Researchers evaluated how geomorphological factors influence microplastic deposition and mobilization in the fluvial sediments of the Tisza River in Central Europe, comparing surveys conducted in 2019 and 2020. Flood events between surveys redistributed microplastic pollution, reducing sediment concentrations by 30% in the main river and 48% in tributaries while increasing contamination in the Middle Tisza section.

2022 Applied Sciences 19 citations