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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to A review of the use of microplastics in reconstructing dated sedimentary archives
ClearAre microplastics the ‘technofossils’ of the Anthropocene?
Researchers reviewed dating methods and microplastic data from sedimentary cores globally, establishing a chronological sequence of microplastic polymer types in sediment records and validating it against 39 published dated cores, demonstrating that microplastic composition can serve as a supplementary dating tool for Anthropocene sediments on a centennial scale.
The Paleoecology of Microplastic Contamination
This paper reviews how paleoecological methods — using naturally accumulating environmental archives like sediment cores — can be applied to reconstruct the historical timeline of microplastic contamination. Long-term records are needed to establish baselines and understand how rapidly microplastic pollution has escalated over the past century.
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.
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.
Assessment of microplastic content in natural waters and sediments: sampling and sample preparation
Researchers reviewed and evaluated sampling and analytical methods for measuring microplastic content in natural waters and sediments, assessing sources of error and variability in current approaches. The review recommended a standardized protocol to improve cross-study comparability.
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.
Microplastics in sediments: A review of techniques, occurrence and effects
This review examined techniques, occurrence data, and ecological effects of microplastics in sediments, synthesizing evidence that sediments act as a major long-term repository for microplastic contamination in both freshwater and marine systems.
A critical review of the novel analytical methods for the determination of microplastics in sand and sediment samples
This review critically assessed novel analytical methods for detecting microplastics in sand and sediment samples, comparing extraction procedures and identification techniques while highlighting the need for standardized protocols across laboratories.
Microplastics in freshwater sediment: A review on methods, occurrence, and sources
This review synthesizes methods, occurrence data, and sources of microplastics in freshwater sediments, comparing approaches and providing recommendations for standardized sampling and analysis to fill knowledge gaps relative to marine research.
Standardised protocol for monitoring microplastics in sediments. Deliverable 4.2.
This paper presents a standardized protocol for monitoring microplastics in marine sediments, developed as part of an international project to harmonize sampling and analysis methods across different research groups. Having consistent protocols is essential for generating comparable data to track plastic pollution trends over time and location.
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.
Comparison of two procedures for microplastics analysis in sediments based on an interlaboratory exercise
Researchers compared two laboratory procedures for extracting and identifying microplastics in sediments through an interlaboratory exercise, evaluating a 'core' method and an 'augmentation' method using visual microscopy for particle identification, and providing recommendations to improve standardization of sediment microplastic analysis.
Microplastics in sediments: A systematic review structured through reproducible analytical pipelines
This systematic review of 37 studies finds that microplastic research in sediments suffers from major differences in how samples are collected and analyzed. Without standardized methods, it is difficult to compare contamination levels across locations, which limits our ability to assess how much microplastic in soil and waterbed sediments might affect ecosystems and human health.
Review of microplastics in museum specimens: An under-utilized tool to better understand the Plasticene
A review of microplastic studies using museum collection specimens spanning 1900-2019 found that archived marine and freshwater organisms can fill knowledge gaps on historical microplastic pollution trends, with microfibers as the most common type found across all specimen types reviewed.
The fate of microplastic in marine sedimentary environments: A review and synthesis
A systematic review of 80 papers on microplastics in marine sediments found median concentrations varied widely by sediment environment, with fibers dominating many locations, and showed that sediment grain size and organic carbon content influence microplastic accumulation.
A critical review of microplastics characterisation in aquatic environments: recent trends in the last 10 years
This critical review assessed current approaches to characterizing microplastics in aquatic environments, evaluating sampling methods, extraction protocols, and analytical techniques. It identified persistent inconsistencies in methodology and recommended standardization practices to improve data comparability.
Recommended best practices for collecting, analyzing, and reporting microplastics in environmental media: Lessons learned from comprehensive monitoring of San Francisco Bay
Researchers developed and tested standardized methods for collecting, analyzing, and reporting microplastics during a comprehensive monitoring study of San Francisco Bay. They identified best practices for sampling across water, sediment, and fish tissue, and highlighted how methodological differences can lead to incomparable results between studies. The study provides a practical framework that other monitoring programs can adopt to improve the consistency and reliability of microplastic data.
Isolation and Extraction of Microplastics from Environmental Samples: An Evaluation of Practical Approaches and Recommendations for Further Harmonization
Isolation and extraction methods for microplastics from environmental samples were evaluated and compared, tracing the evolution of methodologies from early studies in the 1970s to current approaches. The review identified persistent inconsistencies in extraction efficiency across methods as a major obstacle to comparing microplastic contamination data across studies and locations.
Quality assessment of research studies on microplastics in soils: A methodological perspective
A methodological quality assessment of published soil microplastic studies identified widespread inconsistencies in extraction, identification, and reporting protocols that limit comparability and reliability of findings. The review recommends adoption of standardized quality criteria to improve the rigor and reproducibility of soil microplastic research.
Methodological approaches to the monitoring of microplastics in France
Researchers reviewed the methods used to monitor microplastics in France, highlighting the different approaches adopted across water, sediment, and biological samples and the need for standardized protocols to improve comparability of results across studies.
Tracking the microplastic accumulation from past to present in the freshwater ecosystems: A case study in Susurluk Basin, Turkey
Researchers tracked the historical accumulation of microplastics in freshwater lake sediment cores, finding a steady increase in particle deposition corresponding to rising plastic production since the mid-20th century and demonstrating that sediment archives can reconstruct the timeline of freshwater microplastic pollution.
Downward migrating microplastics in lake sediments is a tricky indicator for the onset of the Anthropocene
This paper questions whether microplastics in lake sediment cores are a reliable marker for the start of the Anthropocene epoch. Researchers found that microplastics can migrate downward through sediment layers over time, which could give misleadingly old dates and complicate their use as a precise geological time marker.
Microplastic Detection and Analysis from Water and Sediment: A Review
This review summarized current methods for detecting and analyzing microplastics in water and sediment samples, covering sampling techniques, extraction procedures, identification technologies, and quality control measures needed for reliable microplastic quantification.
Harmonized efforts for the assessment of microplastic contamination trends using 210Pb dated sediment cores from an urbanized coastal lagoon (NW Mexico)
Researchers analyzed microplastics in lead-210 dated sediment cores from a coastal lagoon in northwest Mexico to reconstruct historical pollution trends going back decades. Microplastic concentrations began rising in the 1970s and have increased exponentially in recent decades, closely tracking regional urbanization and plastic production growth.