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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Terrestrial and Aquatic Controls on the Movement of Material Transported Hydrologically Across Vast Arctic River Basins
ClearSignificant variability of structure and predictability of Arctic Ocean surface pathways affects basin-wide connectivity
Researchers used high-resolution ocean models to study how floating materials — including pollutants like microplastics — drift across the Arctic Ocean, finding that surface pathways have high year-to-year variability and that fine-scale ocean currents strongly affect where these materials ultimately travel and accumulate.
Microplastic fate in Arctic coastal waters: accumulation hotspots and role of rivers in Svalbard
Microplastic sampling in Svalbard fjords found surface MPs concentrated along river plume borders in populated areas (up to 71,400 items/km²), while intense riverine discharge during summer flushed MPs away from unpopulated fjords, highlighting the dual role of rivers as both sources and transporters of Arctic microplastics.
Monthly Year-Round Characteristics and Ocean Export of Riverine Organic Matter: Relationship with Microplastics
Researchers conducted year-round monthly sampling of a river system to characterize the quantity and composition of organic matter exported to the ocean, examining how microplastics contribute to allochthonous carbon fluxes and how their transport co-varies with seasonal changes in riverine organic matter dynamics.
Catchment-scale mechanistic predictions of microplastic transport and distribution across land and water
Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model successfully predicting microplastic transport from land to water, validated against field data, revealing how soil accumulation, runoff dynamics, and in-stream transport interact to determine where microplastics concentrate before reaching the ocean.
Microplastics in Svalbard fjords: influence of hydrodynamics and local pollution sources
Researchers studied the distribution of surface and subsurface microplastics in Svalbard fjords over three years (July 2021-2023), investigating how hydrodynamics, river discharge, and local pollution sources influence microplastic fate in Arctic coastal waters.
Microplastics in Arctic polar waters: the first reported values of particles in surface and sub-surface samples
Researchers reported some of the first measured values for microplastic particles in Arctic polar waters, finding contamination even in these remote high-latitude waters and raising questions about long-range transport mechanisms.
A Review of Processes and Models for the Export of Microplastics From Terrestrial to Aquatic Systems
This review examines models and processes that control how microplastics move from land into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Understanding these transport pathways is essential for predicting where microplastics accumulate and developing strategies to stop them from reaching water sources. The research could help protect human health by informing better land management and waste reduction policies.
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.
Modeling the influence of biogeochemical processes on the transport of microplastics in the Arctic Ocean
Researchers modeled how seasonal marine biological processes — including biofouling by algae and zooplankton ingestion and excretion of microplastics — affect vertical transport of microplastics in the Arctic Ocean. The model showed that biological processes significantly alter where microplastics accumulate in the water column across seasons. These findings improve predictions of how microplastics distribute in polar oceans, where they can be sequestered or released back to the surface.
Transport of Riverine Microplastics in the Arctic Ocean
This study used 3D numerical ocean circulation models to track how riverine microplastics are transported through the Arctic Ocean, including through sea ice formation and melt. The findings show that microplastics can be carried long distances in the Arctic, where they accumulate in remote regions and enter polar food webs.
Microplastic Pathways: Investigating Vertical and Horizontal Movement from Riverine Environments to Oceans
Researchers investigated the vertical and horizontal movement of microplastics in riverine systems en route to the ocean, examining how physical MP characteristics and hydrodynamic conditions govern whether particles settle near riverbeds or float at the surface, and how both gravity-driven and flow-driven transport contribute to their ultimate fate.
A critical review of environmental factors influencing the transport dynamics of microplastics in riverine systems: implications for ecological studies
This review examines how environmental factors like river flow, channel shape, vegetation, and sediment influence where microplastics accumulate and how they travel through river systems. The authors found that microplastic transport is far more complex than previously assumed, with particles behaving differently based on their size, shape, and density. Understanding these dynamics is essential for predicting where microplastics end up and designing effective cleanup strategies.
Particle sources and transport in stratified Nordic coastal seas in the Anthropocene
Researchers examined how particles of biogenic, lithogenic, and anthropogenic origin — including microplastics — are distributed and transported in stratified Nordic coastal seas, exploring their roles as vectors for microorganisms and as components of carbon cycling.
Influence of microplastics on nutrients and metal concentrations in river sediments
Researchers investigated how microplastics influence nutrient and metal concentrations in river sediments, finding that microplastics alter the distribution of pollutants through their capacity to adsorb contaminants and support biofilm formation on their hydrophobic surfaces.
Managing plastic pollution in the Arctic ocean: An integrated quantitative flux estimate and policy study
Researchers quantified the amount of plastic entering and leaving the Arctic Ocean through rivers, sea ice, and ocean currents, and assessed the gap between existing pollution levels and current policy measures. The study found that Arctic plastic pollution is likely underestimated and that current regulations are insufficient to prevent further accumulation in this sensitive ecosystem.
River plastic transport and storage budget
This study provides the first systematic budget of how plastic moves through rivers and where it gets stored, finding that riverbanks and floodplains trap far more plastic than the surface water layer that is typically monitored. Rivers act not just as pipelines delivering plastic to the ocean but as large reservoirs that accumulate and slowly release plastic over time. Understanding this full storage picture is essential for estimating how much microplastic will eventually reach the ocean and for designing effective river cleanup strategies.
Distribution and transport of microplastic and fine particulate organic matter in urban streams
Researchers found that urban streams both transport and retain microplastic and fine particulate organic matter, using particle transport dynamics methods to quantify retention rates and identify streams as significant intermediary sinks in the plastic pollution pathway to oceans.
Microplastics in Svalbard fjords: influence of hydrodynamics and local pollution sources
Researchers studied microplastic distribution in Svalbard fjords over three years (July 2021-2023) using both neuston net surface sampling and pump-based subsurface collection, examining the role of rivers, local populations, and hydrodynamics on microplastic fate in Arctic coastal waters. They found the highest concentrations in populated Adventfjorden, with peak levels of up to 71,400 items/km2 along the river plume boundary.
A first assessment of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in Hudson Bay and the surrounding eastern Canadian Arctic waters of Nunavut
Scientists collected surface water, zooplankton, sediment, and snow samples from Hudson Bay to northern Baffin Island and found microplastics in all sample types, providing the first comprehensive assessment of microplastic contamination across this broad eastern Canadian Arctic region.
The influence of flow on the amount, retention and loss of plastic pollution in an urban river
Researchers sampled both microplastics and macroplastics at four sites along an urban river in Ontario, Canada during normal flow and storm conditions. The study found that storm events significantly influence plastic transport dynamics, with flow conditions affecting how much plastic pollution is retained in or flushed through urban river systems toward downstream water bodies.
Integrating land cover, point source pollution, and watershed hydrologic processes data to understand the distribution of microplastics in riverbed sediments
Researchers sampled riverbed sediments across the Meramec River watershed in Missouri and applied hydrological modelling to assess which factors best predict benthic microplastic distribution, finding that land cover and point source pollution variables outperformed discharge and sediment load in explaining spatial patterns, highlighting the dominance of anthropogenic sources over transport dynamics.
Controlling Factors of Microplastic Riverine Flux and Implications for Reliable Monitoring Strategy
This review examines the controlling factors that determine microplastic flux from rivers to the sea, identifying hydrology, land use, river morphology, and sampling methodology as key variables, and arguing for standardized monitoring approaches to enable reliable riverine flux estimates.
Arctic sea ice is an important temporal sink and means of transport for microplastic
This study showed that Arctic sea ice acts as a significant temporary reservoir for microplastics, trapping particles that are then released when ice melts, making sea ice both a sink and a transport mechanism for microplastic pollution.
Estimation of plastic waste accumulation in the Arctic
Researchers analyzed sources, spatial distribution patterns, and mass transfer dynamics of plastic and microplastic pollution in the Arctic, proposing plastic waste management approaches and a community-based monitoring program to track microplastic accumulation across Arctic regions.