Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic concentrations in river water and bed sediments in a tropical river: implications for water quality monitoring

Researchers found that microplastic concentrations in a tropical Malaysian river averaged 3.12 particles/L in water and 6,027 particles/m² in bed sediments, with high within-site variability and poor correlation between water and sediment contamination levels, complicating monitoring strategies.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Status of Microplastic Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystem with a Case Study on Cherating River, Malaysia

Researchers investigated microplastic abundance in surface water from the Cherating River and an adjacent mangrove in Malaysia, finding the highest concentrations in the midstream region (0.0070 particles per cubic meter), with white-colored fragments of 0.5-1.0 mm dominating. The study provided baseline microplastic data for Malaysian aquatic ecosystems, finding concentrations comparable to European sites but lower than reported in Chinese rivers.

2020 Journal of Engineering and Technological Sciences 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, abundance, and distribution of microplastics pollution: an evidence in surface tropical water of Klang River estuary, Malaysia

Researchers measured microplastic abundance, size, shape, and polymer type in surface water of the Klang River estuary in Malaysia — a highly urbanized waterway — finding concentrations among the highest reported in Southeast Asian estuaries, with industrial packaging materials and synthetic textiles as the dominant sources.

2021 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence of Microplastics in Kemena River and Niah River of Sarawak, Malaysia

Researchers investigated microplastic occurrence in water and riverbed sediments of the Kemena and Niah Rivers in Sarawak, Malaysia, finding that urbanization along these rivers correlates with higher microplastic concentrations in freshwater environments.

2023 Tropical Environment Biology and Technology 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Malaysia's Aquatic Environment: Current Overview and Future Perspectives

This review summarizes microplastic research across Malaysia's rivers, coastal waters, seafood, and sediments, finding widespread contamination in all aquatic environments studied. Fibers and fragments from everyday plastic products were the most common types found. The authors highlight that Malaysians face significant microplastic exposure through seafood consumption and call for better pollution monitoring and waste management policies.

2023 Global Challenges 32 citations
Article Tier 2

A multidimensional approach for microplastics monitoring in two major tropical river basins, Malaysia

Researchers conducted a multidimensional assessment of microplastic distribution in surface waters of two major Malaysian river basins, providing much-needed field data on microplastic emissions from Asian rivers known to be major contributors to ocean pollution.

2023 Environmental Research 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Microplastics in the Surface Water of Mengkabong and Salut Rivers of Sabah, Malaysia

Researchers conducted the first study of microplastic pollution in rivers in Sabah, Malaysia, finding microplastics at every sampling location. The Salut River had significantly higher concentrations than the Mengkabong River, with fibers being the dominant shape, likely originating from textile washing, fishing, and aquaculture activities. The study provides important baseline data on microplastic contamination in a region where such pollution had not previously been documented.

2024 Borneo Journal of Resource Science and Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Abundance, Distribution, and Composition in Sungai Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia

This study investigated microplastic occurrence in Sungai Dungun river in Malaysia, characterizing the particles by morphology, color, and polymer type. The detection of microplastics at all sampling sites in this Malaysian river confirms that freshwater contamination with plastic particles is widespread across Southeast Asia.

2020 Sains Malaysiana 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Contamination and Ecological Risk Assessment in Tropical Riverine Surface Water of Selangor River Basin, Malaysia

Researchers analyzed microplastic abundance and risk in the Selangor River Basin in Malaysia, collecting surface water from 25 sites and detecting 361 particles with an average density of 1.44 particles per liter. Stereomicroscopy and FTIR confirmed the presence of multiple polymer types across upstream, tributary, and downstream zones.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastics in the water and sediment of Baram River estuary, Borneo Island

Researchers characterized microplastics in the water and sediment of the Baram River estuary in Borneo, finding contamination at all sampling stations with fibers as the dominant form, linked to nearby industrial and domestic activities.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 119 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in lower Cimandiri River, Indonesia: early detection on the occurrence, abundance and distribution

Microplastics were detected in the lower Cimandiri River in Indonesia, with abundance and distribution varying along the river's length from upstream to the estuary. Fragment shapes dominated, suggesting degradation of larger plastic debris. The study provides early baseline data on river microplastic pollution in a developing region of Indonesia.

2022 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Abundance and Characteristics in the Bango River, Malang, Indonesia, Based on Land Use Patterns

Researchers quantified microplastic abundance and characterized particle types in the Bango River in Malang, Indonesia, finding significant contamination dominated by fragments and fibers linked to urban and agricultural sources.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic distribution in Surface Water and Sediments of Way Belau River, Lampung, Indonesia

This study mapped microplastic distribution in both surface water and sediments of the Way Belau River in Lampung, Indonesia. Microplastics were found throughout the river, with higher concentrations in sediments than in surface water, indicating accumulation in riverbed environments.

2023 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in tropical estuary gastropods: Abundance, distribution and potential sources of Klang River estuary, Malaysia

Researchers conducted a baseline study of microplastic abundance and distribution in gastropods from the Klang River estuary in Malaysia, finding concentrations ranging from 0.50 to 1.75 particles per gram and a predominance of fibres (91%) mostly in the 300-1000 µm size range. The higher microplastic loads in upper estuary samples near the urbanised river catchment indicated that terrestrial runoff was the primary source.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Small-Scale Microplastics Abundance and Characterization in Urban River: A Case Study in Metro River, Indonesia

Researchers assessed microplastic contamination in the Metro River in Indonesia, finding that abundance and characteristics varied by land use type, with urban areas showing higher concentrations of fragments and fibers in this rapidly developing region.

2023 Journal of Engineering and Technological Sciences 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Occurrence in Surface Waters and Sediments in Five River Mouths of Manila Bay

Researchers documented microplastic contamination in water and sediments at five river mouths of Manila Bay in the Philippines, finding fragments and fibers as the dominant types, with polyethylene and polypropylene the most common polymers.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Correlation Analysis of Water Quality and Microplastic Identification in the North Coast Area of Situbondo

Researchers assessed water quality and identified microplastics in a river in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, finding correlations between water quality parameters and microplastic abundance and characterizing the dominant polymer types and morphologies present.

2025 Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA
Article Tier 2

Understanding the Extent of Microplastic Pollution in Penang’s River: A Baseline Study on Abundance and Distribution of Microplastic and Water Quality Parameters

Researchers surveyed two rivers in northern Malaysia — Pinang River and Kerian River — to establish a baseline understanding of microplastic pollution in a region where such data were largely absent. They found microplastics in both rivers, with Kerian River showing higher concentrations; fragment-shaped particles dominated, and polycarbonate and nylon were identified as the main polymer types. This kind of baseline data is essential for tracking how pollution changes over time and for guiding cleanup or regulatory efforts in the region.

2025 Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Source, Identification, Distribution, and Abundance of Microplastics in Rivers and Their Ecological Impacts: a Review

This review synthesizes global data on microplastic sources, identification methods, distribution in rivers, and ecological impacts, covering studies from the past two decades. It finds MPs widespread in riverine systems (up to 120 MPs/L in water, 13,607 MPs/kg in sediment), with FTIR and Raman spectroscopy as dominant identification tools and PE/PP fibers and fragments as the most common polymer types.

2025 Environment & Ecosystem science
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Contamination in Wild Fish Caught from Urbanised Sepanggar River of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Researchers examined microplastic contamination in wild fish caught from the urbanized Sepanggar River in Malaysia, finding MPs in all sampled fish with polymer types consistent with urban runoff, domestic sewage, and fishing gear as dominant sources.

2025 Journal of Tropical Biology & Conservation (JTBC)
Article Tier 2

Microplastic distribution in surface water and sediment river around slum and industrial area (case study: Ciwalengke River, Majalaya district, Indonesia)

Microplastics were surveyed in surface water and sediments of the Ciwalengke River in Indonesia across slum and industrial areas, finding average concentrations of 5.85 particles/L in water and 138 items/kg in sediment with fibers as the dominant form. The study is the first to examine microplastic contamination in a slum-dominated Indonesian river environment, documenting high concentrations linked to informal waste disposal.

2019 Chemosphere 433 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, distribution and sources of microplastics in beach sediments of Miri coast, NW Borneo

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution in the surface sediments of 10 European rivers, detecting particles at all sites with concentrations ranging from 14 to 895 particles per kilogram of dry sediment. Urban rivers showed the highest contamination levels.

2022 Chemosphere 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Estimation of macroplastic yield from river basin to coastal area: A case study of the Klang River, Malaysia

Researchers studied macroplastic distribution along a 20-kilometer stretch of the highly polluted Klang River in Malaysia and developed a method to estimate total plastic yield from the river basin to the coast. They found 240 items of weathered macroplastics and characterized their composition and degradation patterns. The study provides a practical protocol for quantifying how much plastic pollution flows from rivers into coastal marine environments.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in sediment from Skudai and Tebrau river, Malaysia: a preliminary study

Microplastics were found in sediments from two rivers in Malaysia, with fibers and fragments being most common. This preliminary study adds to documentation of freshwater microplastic contamination in Southeast Asia, a region with high plastic waste generation.

2018 MATEC Web of Conferences 62 citations