Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Quantifying and Characterizing Microplastics in the Greater Philadelphia Region

Researchers quantified and characterized microplastic contamination across waterways in the Greater Philadelphia region, examining how plastic degradation from weathering, heat, water, and biological activity introduces microplastics into local water bodies and the atmosphere. The study assessed the scope of contamination and documented the implications of microplastic pollution for aquatic and human health in an urban watershed context.

2025 Digital Commons - Ursinus (Ursinus College)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics- A not so Micro Problem: Prevalence in A North Caroline Freshwater System

Researchers investigated microplastic prevalence in the Catawba River Basin of North Carolina by collecting 80 water samples across five sites varying in recreation intensity and upstream/downstream position, finding microplastics present in every sample collected and documenting higher concentrations at downstream and recreated sites.

2022 International journal of high school research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

First evidence of microplastics in a freshwater river and their relationship to water quality

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in a freshwater river used for recreational purposes and found a significant relationship between microplastic abundance and water physicochemical quality parameters, along with the presence of three organic compounds, providing evidence that microplastic pollution and water quality are closely linked.

2025 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in urban New Jersey freshwaters: distribution, chemical identification, and biological affects

Researchers characterized microplastics in the heavily urbanized Raritan and Passaic Rivers in New Jersey, identifying polymer types at 15 sites using pyrolysis-GC/MS and finding that associated organic compounds can transfer between plastic and water phases, with embryonic zebrafish exposed to identified polymers showing physiological effects.

2017 AIMS environmental science 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Western NY River Ecosystems

Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in river ecosystems of Western New York, characterizing particle abundance, types, and distribution across sampling sites. The study provides regional baseline data and highlights urban and agricultural land use as contributors to freshwater microplastic contamination.

2023 ThinkIR: The University of Louisville's Institutional Repository (University of Louisville)
Article Tier 2

Anthropogenic Litter in Urban Freshwater Ecosystems: Distribution and Microbial Interactions

Researchers quantified anthropogenic litter in urban rivers and streams and found that microplastics dominated by mass and particle count compared to macroplastic items. The study highlights urban freshwater systems as major conduits for plastic pollution moving toward marine environments and documents distinct microbial communities on plastic surfaces.

2014 PLoS ONE 287 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of land cover on microplastics accumulation in freshwater sediments

Researchers collected sediment cores from four Pennsylvania watersheds with different land uses to examine how land cover influences microplastic accumulation in freshwater sediments over time. Urban and agricultural watersheds showed higher microplastic concentrations than forested watersheds, with fibers being the most common morphotype.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic distribution and characteristics across a large river basin: Insights from the Neuse River in North Carolina, USA

Researchers characterized microplastic distribution across the Neuse River Basin in North Carolina, finding microplastics in both water and sediment at all sampling locations, with concentrations influenced by land use and proximity to urban areas.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative Distribution of Microplastics in Different Inland Aquatic Ecosystems

Researchers sampled seven Greek inland aquatic ecosystems of varying types and found microplastics in all locations, with fibers dominating (0.47–149.4 items/m³) and higher concentrations in vertical than surface samples, indicating that morphology, trophic status, and anthropogenic pressure influence distribution.

2025 Water
Article Tier 2

Distribution and risk assessment of microplastic pollution in a rural river system near a wastewater treatment plant, hydro-dam, and river confluence

This study measured microplastic pollution in a rural river in New York State and found elevated concentrations near a wastewater treatment plant, a hydroelectric dam, and a river junction. Even in this mostly forested and agricultural area, all sites were polluted with microplastics at concerning levels. The findings demonstrate that microplastic contamination is not just an urban problem and can affect rural waterways that communities depend on.

2024 Scientific Reports 76 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 6 citations
Article Tier 2

A systems approach to understand microplastic occurrence and variability in Dutch riverine surface waters

Microplastic concentrations in two Dutch rivers ranged from 67 to 11,532 particles per cubic meter, varying by two orders of magnitude across space and one order over time, with polyethylene and polypropylene the most common polymers among 26 types identified. Rigorous quality assurance procedures including partial filter analysis guidelines are proposed to improve measurement reliability.

2020 Water Research 209 citations
Article Tier 2

Prevalence of Microplastic Pollution in Freshwater Ecosystem: A Case Study of Thal Canal

Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in a freshwater ecosystem in a case study region, measuring particle concentrations and types in water and sediment samples across multiple sites. Microplastics were detected at all sampling locations with higher concentrations near urban areas, and fibres and fragments were the dominant particle morphologies found.

2024 Proceedings of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences B Life and Environmental Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Fluvial Concentrations of Microplastics in a Suburban Micro-Watershed: Sampling Methodology and Analysis

Researchers designed a low-cost sampling station to collect and quantify microplastics in a shallow suburban stream in South Carolina. They found that microplastic abundance increased from the top of the watershed to the bottom, rising from about 269 to 715 particles per 10 cubic meters of surface water. Fibers were the dominant type, and the study highlights the need for standardized sampling methods for small freshwater streams.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization and enumeration of microplastic pollution in three fish species of the Upper Mississippi River

Researchers found 891 microplastic particles across 281 fish from three species in the Upper Mississippi River, with fibers being the most common type and smaller fish containing proportionally more microplastics than larger ones. This confirms microplastic ingestion is widespread in freshwater fish — not just marine species — and the presence of styrene-isoprene, polyester, and ABS polymers highlights the diverse plastic sources contaminating major river systems.

2023 Minds at UW (University of Wisconsin)
Article Tier 2

Abundance, Distribution and Drivers of Microplastic Contaminant in Urban River Environments

Researchers surveyed microplastic distribution in urban river environments and identified key drivers of accumulation hotspots, finding that land use, hydrology, and infrastructure factors concentrated microplastics at predictable locations that could inform targeted management interventions.

2018 Preprints.org 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying and classifying microplastics and microparticles across aquatic heterotrophs from headwater streams in central Pennsylvania

Researchers found microparticle contamination across multiple trophic levels in remote forested headwater streams in central Pennsylvania, with secondary consumers showing the highest contamination rates and µFTIR confirming true microplastics at two of five sampling sites.

2025 Journal of Freshwater Ecology
Article Tier 2

Spatio-Temporal Distribution and Characterization of Microplastic Pollution in The Three Main Freshwater Systems (Aksu and Köprü Streams, Manavgat River) And Fishing Grounds Located in Their Vicinities in The Antalya Bay

Researchers found 2,444 microplastics across three freshwater systems near Antalya Bay, Turkey, with fibers (57%) and fragments (33%) dominating, and polyethylene and polypropylene as the most common polymers, showing a homogeneous pollution pattern across all sampling sites.

2021 Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

A Preliminary Study of Microplastics and Microfibers at the Molly Ann Brook, Nj

This preliminary study investigated microplastic and microfiber pollution in Molly Ann Brook, a freshwater stream in New Jersey, finding plastic contamination at multiple sampling sites including locations upstream of urban areas. The results demonstrate that even streams in mixed-land-use watersheds carry microplastic pollution year-round.

2018 Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America
Article Tier 2

Identification and Quantification of Microplastic Pollution in Water Samples and Four Species of Fish from the Mississippi River

Microplastics were found in water samples and in four fish species from the Mississippi River, the largest North American river draining a densely populated watershed. The findings confirm that one of the world's major river systems is contaminated with microplastics, which are likely entering the Gulf of Mexico.

2020 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution differences in freshwater river according to stream order: Insights from spatial distribution, annual load, and ecological assessment

Researchers compared microplastic pollution levels in a freshwater river across different land-use zones, finding higher concentrations near urban and agricultural areas than in forested regions. Fiber-type microplastics were predominant across all sampling locations.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 5 citations