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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Towards a management strategy for microplastic pollution in the Laurentian Great Lakes - Monitoring (Part 1)
ClearOn the likelihood of ecological risks from microplastics in the Laurentian Great Lakes
This review assessed the likelihood of ecological risks from microplastics in the Laurentian Great Lakes, identifying significant challenges for risk assessment due to inconsistent data quality and lack of standardized methods, and calling for policy development to address microplastic pollution in these iconic ecosystems.
Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Researchers documented microplastic pollution across the surface waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes, finding contamination in all lakes sampled — particularly Lake Erie — with fibers as the dominant particle type, highlighting plastic pollution in a critical freshwater system.
Towards a management strategy for microplastic pollution in the Laurentian Great Lakes—ecological risk assessment and management (part 2)
Researchers applied ecological risk assessment frameworks to evaluate microplastic pollution in the Great Lakes and found that some areas may pose measurable risks to aquatic communities. By comparing proposed safety thresholds with actual monitoring data, they identified specific locations where microplastic concentrations exceed levels considered safe for freshwater organisms. The study represents an important step toward developing practical management strategies for microplastic pollution in one of the world's largest freshwater systems.
Plastic debris in the Laurentian Great Lakes: A review
This review synthesized available data on plastic debris in the Laurentian Great Lakes, including both surface water surveys and shoreline monitoring, finding levels comparable to those in oceanic garbage patches in some areas. The review highlighted the Great Lakes as a significant freshwater plastic pollution hotspot requiring targeted research and management.
Research status and prospects of microplastic pollution in lakes
This review systematically covers microplastic pollution research in lakes, including sampling and identification methods, distribution patterns, ecological effects, and knowledge gaps, identifying lakes as important but understudied sinks for microplastic contamination.
Plastic Pollution in the Laurentian Great Lakes: Informing a Coordinated, Regional Management Response
This review assessed a decade of progress in understanding plastic pollution in the Laurentian Great Lakes, covering key sources (litter, textiles, paint, resin pellets), transport pathways, and distribution across water, sediment, and biota. The authors called for a coordinated regional management framework to reduce inputs and monitor long-term trends.
Microplastic in Freshwater Environment: A Review on Techniques and Abundance for Microplastic Detection in Lake Water
This review examines microplastic pollution in freshwater environments, summarizing detection techniques and reporting on abundance data from rivers, lakes, and streams worldwide. The authors highlight methodological inconsistencies that complicate cross-study comparisons and call for standardized sampling and analysis protocols.
Plastic Microbead Accumulation in our Freshwaters:North American Great Lakes Assessments and Perspective
This paper reviews microplastic sampling studies across the North American Great Lakes, one of the world's largest freshwater systems. High concentrations of plastic microbeads and fibers were found even in remote nature reserves, far from major urban centers. The authors call for stricter product regulations and improved wastewater treatment to reduce microplastic input to these vital water bodies.
Global microplastic contamination in freshwater lakes: Spatial patterns, environmental drivers, and methodological challenges
This review systematically analyzed 84 studies covering more than 300 lakes worldwide to assess global microplastic contamination in freshwater lake systems. Surface water MP concentrations ranged from below 0.001 to over 200 MP/L, with fibers and fragments dominating, polyethylene and polypropylene most common, and highest levels found in shallow, lowland, and eutrophic systems near urbanized shorelines.
Environmental Chemical Contaminants in Food: Review of a Global Problem
This study measured microplastic contamination in the surface waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes and found plastic particles present across all five lakes. The majority of particles were fragments and fibers, with the highest concentrations found near urban areas and in downstream lakes. The findings indicate that the Great Lakes are a significant reservoir of microplastic pollution, with densities comparable to those reported in marine environments.
Direct Microplastic Inputs from Wastewater Treatment Plants to the Laurentian Great Lakes
Despite retaining over 70% of incoming microplastics, wastewater treatment plants on the Great Lakes still discharge substantial quantities into this critical freshwater system, making them important targets for reducing microplastic pollution.
A survey on the effect of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes
This review surveys plastic pollution in the Great Lakes of North America, examining the distribution of micro-, meso-, and macroplastics across these ecologically and economically important freshwater systems. The Great Lakes contain significant quantities of microplastics from surrounding urban and industrial areas, threatening freshwater biodiversity and drinking water quality.
Inventory and transport of plastic debris in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Researchers modeled plastic debris transport in the Laurentian Great Lakes using hydrodynamic current data and population-based input estimates, calculating that approximately 9,887 metric tons of plastic enter the lakes annually, with surface microplastic mass concentrated in Lakes Erie and Huron based on sampling-calibrated simulations.
Macroplastics in Lakes: An Underrepresented Ecological Problem?
This bibliometric review identified macroplastic pollution in lakes as a significantly understudied problem, noting that most research focuses on marine and riverine environments, and calling for standardized methodologies to better assess the ecological threat to freshwater lake ecosystems.
A comparative review of microplastics in lake systems from different countries and regions
Researchers reviewed microplastic contamination data from lake systems across multiple countries, finding that abundance, size, and polymer type varied widely by region and identifying land use, population density, and hydrological connectivity as key drivers of lake microplastic levels.
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.
Microplastics in freshwater systems: A review of the emerging threats, identification of knowledge gaps and prioritisation of research needs
This review synthesizes the growing body of research on microplastic contamination in freshwater rivers, lakes, and sediments, which has received far less attention than marine environments. Researchers found that freshwater microplastic concentrations can rival or exceed those reported in ocean studies, particularly near urban and industrial areas. The study identifies critical knowledge gaps including the lack of standardized sampling methods and limited understanding of how microplastics affect freshwater organisms and ecosystems.
Microplastic contamination, an emerging threat to the freshwater environment: a systematic review
Researchers systematically reviewed the spread of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems — rivers, lakes, and streams — documenting their sources, how they move through water, the damage they cause to aquatic organisms, and the methods used to detect them. Their review serves as a baseline reference for future research and calls for improved waste management to protect freshwater environments from ongoing microplastic contamination.
Microplastics in the Water Column of Western Lake Superior
Researchers sampled the pelagic water column and air-water interface at four locations in western Lake Superior to characterize the presence and depth distribution of microplastics under both stratified and unstratified seasonal conditions. Results confirmed microplastics are present throughout the Lake Superior water column, revealing that surface-only sampling significantly underestimates total microplastic loads in this Great Lakes system.
Are We Underestimating Microplastic Contamination in Aquatic Environments?
This review argues that current microplastic monitoring methods likely underestimate the true extent of contamination in aquatic environments, especially for small particles and fibers. The authors call for standardized, more sensitive detection methods to better inform regulation and risk assessment.
Sources, Occurrence, and Analysis of Microplastics in Freshwater Environments
This review summarizes current knowledge on microplastic sources and occurrence in freshwater environments, noting that freshwater systems are major conduits delivering microplastics to the ocean. The review highlights that freshwater microplastic research lags far behind marine studies despite rivers and lakes being primary pollution pathways.
Microplastics in Natural Water: Sources and Determination
This paper reviews the sources of microplastic pollution in aquatic environments and the analytical methods used to characterize and quantify microplastic particles, covering sampling, extraction, and identification techniques relevant to freshwater and marine monitoring.
Microplastic pollution in lakes: Sources, impact, and solutions
This review comprehensively covers the sources, pathways, ecological impacts, and remediation strategies for microplastic pollution in freshwater lakes, highlighting how particles from urban runoff, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition accumulate in lake ecosystems and transfer into food webs.
Distribution and Modeled Transport of Plastic Pollution in the Great Lakes, the World's Largest Freshwater Resource
Researchers conducted field surveys of plastic pollution across the Great Lakes and associated rivers, combining surface trawl measurements with hydrodynamic transport modelling to characterise concentrations, fluxes, and pathways of plastic litter from freshwater to the ocean.