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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Microplastics Amplify Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Freshwater Sediments through Synergistic Interactions
ClearMicroplastics AmplifyGreenhouse Gas Emissions fromFreshwater Sediments through Synergistic Interactions
Researchers found that increasing microplastic chemodiversity — measured by polymer type number and chemical composition — amplified greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater sediments by up to 4.69-fold in aquatic microcosms, with synergistic interactions prevailing when three or more polymer types were combined. This amplification effect was further intensified under warming conditions and was mediated by shifts in microbial community composition and dissolved organic matter.
Effects of microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions and microbial communities in sediment of freshwater systems
Researchers found that PET microplastics of different sizes significantly affected greenhouse gas emissions and microbial communities in freshwater sediments, with smaller particles (5 micrometers) notably increasing methane emissions and altering nutrient cycling over 90 days.
Impacts and mechanism of biodegradable microplastics on lake sediment properties, bacterial dynamics, and greenhouse gasses emissions
Researchers found that biodegradable PBAT microplastics in lake sediments increased greenhouse gas emissions more than conventional polyethylene microplastics, altering sediment properties and microbial communities in ways that enhanced carbon dioxide and methane production.
Microplastic diversity stimulates N2O emission during NO3−-N transformation by altering microbial interaction and electron consumption in eutrophic water
Researchers examined how mixtures of different microplastic types in eutrophic water bodies affect nitrous oxide emissions during nitrogen transformation. They found that greater microplastic diversity significantly increased N2O emissions by altering microbial community interactions and electron transfer processes. The study suggests that the combined presence of multiple microplastic types may amplify their environmental impact on greenhouse gas emissions from water systems.
Microplastics promote methane emission in estuarine and coastal wetlands
This study found that microplastics in coastal and estuarine wetlands increase methane emissions by boosting the activity of methane-producing microorganisms while reducing methane-consuming ones. Both conventional and biodegradable plastics had this effect, meaning microplastic pollution is not just a direct health concern but also contributes to climate change by amplifying greenhouse gas release from natural ecosystems.
Microplastic pollution as an environmental risk exacerbating the greenhouse effect and climate change: a review
Researchers reviewed how microplastics contribute to climate change by releasing greenhouse gases as they degrade, disrupting plant photosynthesis, and altering soil microbial communities that regulate carbon and methane emissions. The review reveals a troubling feedback loop: microplastics worsen global warming, and rising temperatures cause more microplastics to be resuspended from sediments, further intensifying environmental contamination.
Production Potential of Greenhouse Gases Affected by Microplastics at Freshwater and Saltwater Ecosystems
Researchers experimentally analyzed how four types of microplastics (PET, HDPE, PVC, and polyamide) affect greenhouse gas production in freshwater and saltwater soils, finding that microplastics promoted CO2 production across all ecosystems while HDPE had the greatest impact on methane emissions at 1,276 umol/g/L.
Microbial Perspective: Regulatory Mechanisms of Interactions Between Microplastics and Dissolved Organic Matter on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Aquatic Ecosystems
This is a duplicate data deposit for the same study on microplastic and dissolved organic matter interactions affecting greenhouse gas emissions in aquatic ecosystems. The research addresses how microbial communities mediate these effects, with implications for understanding microplastics' role in aquatic carbon cycling and climate-relevant gas production.
Microplastics increase the microbial functional potential of greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution in a freshwater lake: A metagenomic study
A lab study found that adding common types of microplastics to freshwater lake water changed the microbial community in ways that could increase greenhouse gas production and water pollution. Microplastics, especially polyethylene, boosted genes involved in methane production and nitrogen loss from water. This suggests that microplastic pollution in lakes and reservoirs could have hidden environmental effects beyond direct toxicity, including contributing to climate change and degrading water quality.
Microplastics Reshape the Fate of Aqueous Carbon by Inducing Dynamic Changes in Biodiversity and Chemodiversity
Researchers found that microplastics reshape aqueous carbon cycling by releasing chemical additives that inhibit autotrophic bacteria, promoting CO2 emissions, and stimulating microbial metabolic pathways that transform dissolved organic matter into more stable, less bioavailable forms.
Effects of microplastics on sedimentary greenhouse gas emissions and underlying microbiome-mediated mechanisms: A comparison of sediments from distinct altitudes
Researchers compared how PVC and polylactic acid microplastics affect greenhouse gas emissions from river sediments at different altitudes along the Yellow River. The study found that both types of microplastics increased carbon dioxide emissions by promoting the growth of organic-matter-degrading microbes, while PVC specifically boosted nitrous oxide emissions by enriching denitrifying bacteria.
Synergistic effects of microplastics and sulfonamide on greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural ditch sediments: Insights into microbial interactions
This study found that biodegradable PLA microplastics combined with a common antibiotic (sulfanilamide) dramatically increased greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural ditch sediments, nearly doubling the global warming potential compared to untreated sediments. The combination of pollutants disrupted natural bacterial communities in ways that individual pollutants did not. This research shows that microplastics can interact with other agricultural chemicals to worsen climate-related impacts in unexpected ways.
Disentangling microplastics effects on soil structure, microbial activity and greenhouse gas emissions
Researchers studied how microplastics affect soil structure, microbial activity, and greenhouse gas emissions, finding complex interactions that depend on microplastic type and concentration. The presence of microplastics in soils can alter the biological processes that regulate carbon storage and nutrient cycling.
Presence of different microplastics promotes greenhouse gas emissions and alters the microbial community composition of farmland soil
Researchers examined how five types of microplastics (PVC, PP, PE, PS, and PET) at different concentrations affect greenhouse gas emissions and microbial communities in farmland soil. The study found that microplastic presence promoted greenhouse gas emissions and altered the composition of soil microbial communities, with effects varying by plastic type and concentration.
Warming Modulates Microplastic Impacts on Coastal Nitrogen Cycling by Synergistically Amplifying Sediment Hypoxia and Restructuring the Denitrifying Microbiome
Climate warming and microplastic pollution are converging stressors in coastal environments, but their combined effects on ocean chemistry were poorly understood. This microcosm study found that warming and microplastics interacted in complex, non-additive ways to disrupt nitrogen cycling in coastal sediments—sometimes amplifying each other's harmful effects and sometimes canceling them out, depending on the plastic type and the specific biological process. Most concerning, warming combined with both polyethylene and PBAT microplastics created more intense oxygen-depleted zones in sediments, which can trigger dead zones that suffocate marine life. These findings suggest that the ecological risks of microplastic pollution will worsen as oceans warm, complicating predictions based on either stressor studied alone.
Effects of microplastics on nitrogen and phosphorus cycles and microbial communities in sediments
Researchers found that PVC, PLA, and polypropylene microplastics altered nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in freshwater sediments by shifting microbial community composition, with effects varying by polymer type and biodegradability.
CH4 and CO2 Emissions from the Decomposition of Microplastics in the Bottom Sediment—Preliminary Studies
Preliminary experiments measured CO2 and methane emissions from decomposing microplastics (PVC, PP, and rubber) in water-saturated bottom sediments, finding measurable greenhouse gas production that varied by polymer type and plasticizer content. The results suggest that microplastic accumulation in aquatic sediments may represent a previously unaccounted source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Biodegradable microplastics aggravate greenhouse gas emissions from urban lake sediments more severely than conventional microplastics
This study found that biodegradable microplastics caused urban lake sediments to release significantly more greenhouse gases (methane and carbon dioxide) than conventional non-biodegradable microplastics. The biodegradable plastics stimulated microbial activity and enzyme production in the sediment, suggesting that switching to biodegradable plastics may have unintended climate consequences if they end up in waterways.
Biodegradable and non-biodegradable microplastics affect greenhouse gas emissions through chemical diversity and microbial biodiversity
Researchers investigated how biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) and non-biodegradable polystyrene (PS) microplastics affect greenhouse gas emissions in soil, finding that both types elevated CO2 and N2O emissions while shifting microbial community composition at both phylum and genus levels. Structural equation modeling revealed that GHG emissions were more strongly correlated with chemical diversity driven by the microplastics than with microbial diversity, with PLA increasing soil organic carbon content.
Microplastics as drivers of carbon and nitrogen cycling alterations in aquatic ecosystems: A meta-analysis
This network meta-analysis found that microplastics enhance dissolved and total organic carbon in aquatic sediments, promote anaerobic processes, and stimulate greenhouse gas emissions including N2O and methane. In seawater sediments, microplastics significantly boosted denitrification gene abundance, while biodegradable microplastics showed stronger effects on carbon and nitrogen cycling than conventional plastics.
Microplastics Increase the Risk of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Water Pollution in a Freshwater Lake by Affecting Microbial Function in Biogenic Element Cycling: A Metagenomic Study
Researchers used metagenomic analysis to examine how microplastics affect microbial community function in a freshwater lake, finding that microplastic contamination disrupts biogenic element cycling processes and increases the risk of greenhouse gas emissions and water quality degradation.
Could soil microplastic pollution exacerbate climate change? A meta-analysis of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming potential
The first meta-analysis linking soil microplastic pollution to greenhouse gas emissions found that microplastics increased overall emissions, with the strongest effect being a 60% increase in methane. Polyethylene caused the highest methane emissions, phenol-formaldehyde had the greatest global warming potential via nitrous oxide, and greenhouse gas emissions rose sharply when soil microplastic content exceeded 0.5%.
Effects of microplastics on greenhouse gas emissions and the microbial community in fertilized soil
Two particle sizes of microplastics were added to fertilized soil and their effects on dissolved organic carbon, greenhouse gas fluxes, and microbial communities were measured, finding reduced global warming potential due to decreased methane emissions but changes in bacterial and fungal community composition. The study reveals complex interactions between microplastics and soil carbon cycling processes.
A Study of the Effects of Microplastics on Microbial Communities in Marine Sediments
This study investigated how the presence of microplastics in marine sediments affects microbial communities and, specifically, the methane cycle, finding that microplastics significantly altered microbial community structure and function. Since marine sediment microbes play a critical role in regulating greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic contamination could have broader climate-relevant effects beyond direct toxicity.