Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Consequences of anthropogenic activities and beach dynamics on vertical distribution of microplastics in the mid-intertidal sediments of Donghai Island, China

Researchers studied the vertical distribution of microplastics in intertidal sediments on Donghai Island, China, finding that depth profiles were strongly influenced by beach dynamics and human activity patterns. Microplastics were concentrated in the upper sediment layers, with anthropogenic disturbance intensifying accumulation. The study establishes baseline data for coastal microplastic monitoring and management.

2022 Water Science & Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Distribution at Different Sediment Depths in an Urban Estuary

Researchers sampled sediment cores from an urban estuary to map how microplastic particles are distributed at different depths over time. The study found that microplastic density varied with sediment depth, reflecting historical changes in plastic pollution and urban runoff.

2017 Frontiers in Marine Science 271 citations
Article Tier 2

Vertical distribution of microplastics in bay sediment reflecting effects of sedimentation dynamics and anthropogenic activities

Researchers studied the vertical distribution of microplastics in sediment cores from the semi-enclosed Jiaozhou Bay, China, finding six polymer types with distribution patterns reflecting historical changes in plastic production and local pollution sources. Sediment depth was found to correlate with the era of plastic contamination, providing a record of microplastic accumulation over time.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 128 citations
Article Tier 2

Diving into the Depths: Uncovering Microplastics in Norwegian Coastal Sediment Cores

Researchers analyzed microplastic vertical distribution in sediment cores from five sites along the Norwegian coast extending to Arctic waters, filling a gap in high-resolution depth profile data for European and Arctic sediments. Microplastics were found throughout core depths with concentrations generally increasing toward the surface in patterns reflecting historical plastic production growth.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Changes in (micro and macro) plastic pollution in the sediment of three sandy beaches in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, in relation to seasonality, beach use and granulometry

Researchers measured plastic and microplastic pollution in sediment from three Mediterranean beaches across seasons, finding that smaller microplastics accumulate at the backshore while larger items concentrate near the waterline. Seasonal patterns and beach use intensity affected plastic abundance, with implications for beach management and cleanup strategies.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Three-dimensional evaluation of beaches of oceanic islands as reservoirs of plastic particles in the open ocean.

This study investigated the three-dimensional distribution of plastic in beach sediment on three oceanic islands by sampling deeper than surface layers, finding that focusing only on the surface significantly underestimates total plastic standing stocks. The findings suggest that current estimates of beach plastic pollution are conservative and that plastics are being buried in the substrate over time.

2023 The Science of the total environment
Article Tier 2

Diving into the deep: unveiling small microplastics in Norwegian coastal sediment cores

Researchers examined the vertical distribution of small microplastics in five sediment cores from the Norwegian Coastal Current, using advanced analytical methods down to 11 micrometers combined with radiometric dating, finding widespread microplastic presence across sediment layers up to 19 cm depth and providing insights into historical deposition rates.

2025
Article Tier 2

Three-dimensional distribution of plastic pellets in sandy beaches: shifting paradigms

Researchers dug up to 2 meters deep in sandy beaches near a river mouth in Spain and found plastic pellets at all depths, with surface layers holding less than 10% of the total subsurface abundance. The finding reveals that surface sampling dramatically underestimates beach plastic contamination and that pellets accumulate at depth through hydrodynamic burial processes.

2014 Scientific Reports 315 citations
Article Tier 2

Chronological evidence of microplastic accumulation and contamination onset in Central Baltic Sea sediments

Analysis of well-preserved Baltic Sea sediment cores revealed a 50-year chronological record of microplastic accumulation, showing contamination onset in the mid-20th century with accelerating deposition in recent decades.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science
Article Tier 2

A large-scale study of microplastic abundance in sediment cores from the UK continental shelf and slope

Microplastic abundance was surveyed in sediment cores from three areas of the UK continental shelf, establishing a baseline pollution profile across contrasting coastal environments. Concentrations varied considerably by location and depth, with the data providing a foundation for future risk assessments of seafloor contamination.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 51 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comprehensive Review on Microplastic in Beach Sediment

This review synthesises global data from approximately 1,700 beaches worldwide to characterise the occurrence, spatiotemporal distribution, sources, transport, and accumulation of microplastics in beach sediment, highlighting how external environmental forces, internal beach mechanisms, and local morphological characteristics govern microplastic deposition.

2025 Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences
Article Tier 2

A review of microplastic distribution in sediment profiles

A review of microplastic distribution in marine sediment cores found that between 70–90% of environmental MPs accumulate in sediment profiles and that dated sediment cores can reconstruct historical MP deposition trends, with one Kuwaiti Bay core showing a 5-fold increase from 1951 to 2009.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 171 citations
Article Tier 2

Factors Influencing the Three-dimensional Distribution of Microplastics on Sandy Beaches: A Case Study from the Turkish Coast of the Black Sea

A study of nine Black Sea beaches in Turkey found that microplastic abundance varied significantly with beach width, sand grain size, organic content, and tourism pressure, revealing that local physical and human factors shape how microplastics accumulate across the three-dimensional sediment profile. These findings help explain why microplastic hotspots form on particular beaches and can guide targeted cleanup and monitoring efforts.

2024 Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Factors driving the abundance and distribution of microplastics on sandy beaches in a Southwest Atlantic seaside resort

Researchers investigated factors driving microplastic abundance on sandy beaches along the Southwest Atlantic coast, finding that both natural forces like wave energy and anthropogenic inputs influenced the distribution of fiber and fragment microplastics in surface sediments.

2021 Marine Environmental Research 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in deep-sea sediments

Researchers analyzed deep-sea sediment cores and found microplastics present at depth, providing early evidence that deep-sea sediments globally accumulate microplastic pollution far from coastlines and at the seafloor.

2013 Environmental Pollution 1521 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic accumulation in deep-sea sediments from the Rockall Trough

Microplastics were found throughout sediment cores from over 2,000 meters depth in the North Atlantic's Rockall Trough, with concentrations decreasing with sediment age but extending well below the depth predicted by recent plastic production history, suggesting physical redistribution into older sediment layers. Microplastic abundance correlated with sediment porosity, indicating that pore water transport moves particles vertically after deposition.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 174 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Sediment Cores from Asia and Africa as Indicators of Temporal Trends in Plastic Pollution

By extracting microplastics from dated sediment cores in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Africa, researchers reconstructed the historical increase in plastic pollution over decades. The study shows that microplastic accumulation in sediments tracks the global rise in plastic production, making sediment cores a useful record of pollution history.

2017 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 438 citations
Article Tier 2

Can a Sediment Core Reveal the Plastic Age? Microplastic Preservation in a Coastal Sedimentary Record

Researchers used a sediment core from the NW Mediterranean Sea combined with state-of-the-art microplastic identification methods to reconstruct the historical record of microplastic pollution down to 11 micrometers in size. The core revealed a clear acceleration in microplastic burial rates since the 1960s and provided evidence that some polymer types are preserved well in sediment.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 69 citations
Article Tier 2

An assessment of microplastic contamination in beach sediment of Maharashtra State, India, with special reference to anthropogenic activities

Researchers quantified microplastic contamination across 25 beaches along the Maharashtra coast of India, finding widespread pollution with significant variation between sites. They identified microplastic concentrations correlated with anthropogenic activities near each sampling location. The study provides baseline data on coastal microplastic pollution in this densely populated region and highlights the connection between human activity and beach contamination levels.

2024 Water Environment Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of microplastics distribution and stratification in the shallow marine sediments of Samos island, Eastern Mediterranean sea, Greece

Researchers surveyed microplastic distribution in shallow marine sediments around Samos Island, Greece, finding the highest concentrations on beaches and lower levels in deeper offshore sediments. The study suggests that beaches act as accumulation zones for microplastic pollution carried from land.

2019 Mediterranean Marine Science 29 citations
Article Tier 2

[Characteristics of Microplastic Pollution in Sediment of Silty Coast in Culture Bay].

Microplastic characteristics and depth profiles were analyzed in deep sediments from a silty mudflat near a Haizhou Bay aquaculture area, providing rare data on vertical microplastic distribution in coastal sediment cores.

2024 PubMed 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Revealing accumulation zones of plastic pellets in sandy beaches

Researchers evaluated plastic pellet accumulation across 13 sandy beaches in São Paulo state, Brazil, using transects and vertical sediment profiles to one meter depth, identifying regional accumulation hotspots near ports and factories and finding that coastal dunes accumulated more pellets than backshores, with most concentrated in the top 40 cm.

2016 Environmental Pollution 101 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and distribution of microplastics on recreational beaches of Haichow Bay, China

Microplastic occurrence and distribution were examined on recreational beaches of Haichow Bay, China, a heavily visited coastal area. The study found microplastics throughout the beach environment with patterns linked to beach use intensity, wave energy, and sediment type, establishing contamination data for a tourist-frequented coastline.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic pollution in marine ecosystems: spatiotemporal assessment in beach sediments of protected coastal areas

Researchers conducted a spatiotemporal assessment of plastic pollution including microplastics in beach sediments across 13 beaches in marine protected areas in Colombia and the Canary Islands, Spain, evaluating plastic debris under varying environmental conditions in ecologically sensitive coastal zones.

2025