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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Groundwater dependent ecosystems in coastal Mediterranean regions: Characterization, challenges and management for their protection
ClearMicroplastics in groundwater: a global analysis
Researchers conducted a global groundwater sampling study to characterize microplastic contamination in aquifer systems worldwide, investigating transport mechanisms and fate of particles in anoxic subsurface environments where knowledge gaps remain despite extensive research on surface water systems.
Coastal lagoons of West Africa: a scoping study of environmental status and management challenges
This review examines the environmental status of 31 coastal lagoons across West Africa, finding that waste pollution, overuse of resources, and urban expansion are major threats to these ecosystems. Plastic pollution, including microplastics, is among the identified pressures degrading water quality and harming both aquatic life and the human communities that depend on these lagoons. The study highlights significant knowledge gaps about waste management and pollution levels in this region.
A threat beneath the surface: Microplastic contamination in the groundwater of one of Europe's largest wetland complexes
Researchers confirmed microplastic contamination in groundwater samples from one of the world's most populous regions, documenting particle abundance, polymer types, and potential infiltration pathways from surface contamination through soil to subsurface aquifers.
Marine Litter in Transitional Water Ecosystems: State of The Art Review Based on a Bibliometric Analysis
This review used bibliometric analysis to synthesize the state of knowledge on marine litter in transitional water ecosystems including lagoons, estuaries, river deltas, and coastal ponds, identifying key human activities driving plastic inputs and highlighting the largely unknown impact on natural capital and ecosystem services.
First insight into microplastic groundwater pollution in Latin America: the case of a coastal aquifer in Northwest Mexico
Researchers conducted the first investigation of microplastic pollution in groundwater in Latin America, analyzing six capped boreholes in a coastal aquifer in northwest Mexico for microplastic abundance, concentration, and characteristics. The study detected microplastics in groundwater samples, establishing baseline contamination data for this understudied environmental compartment and raising concerns about drinking water quality in the region.
Groundwater is a hidden global keystone ecosystem
This study argues that groundwater should be recognized as a "keystone ecosystem" because of its critical role in sustaining surface environments, biodiversity, and human water supplies. Over half of the world's land surface has significant interaction with groundwater, yet it remains overlooked in conservation planning. Protecting groundwater is essential for planetary health, including safeguarding water sources from emerging contaminants like microplastics.
The future for Mediterranean wetlands: 50 key issues and 50 important conservation research questions
Researchers used a Delphi-style expert process to identify 50 key threats and 50 priority research questions for Mediterranean wetlands through 2050, flagging plastic pollution, dam proliferation, desalination expansion, and antimicrobial resistance as major overlooked or underappreciated challenges to wetland conservation.
Microplastics in the Mediterranean Sea: Deposition in coastal shallow sediments, spatial variation and preferential grain size
Researchers sampled Mediterranean coastal shallow sediments and found microplastics throughout, with concentrations and polymer types reflecting land-based inputs and showing that coastal sediments are a significant regional reservoir for plastic debris.
Abundance, morphology and chemical composition of microplastics in sand and sediments from a protected coastal area: The Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain)
Microplastics were found throughout sand and sediments of the Mar Menor lagoon in southeastern Spain, a protected coastal wetland, with concentrations and polymer types varying by location and depth. The study documents that even legally protected coastal habitats are not shielded from microplastic contamination, raising concerns for the lagoon's fragile ecosystem.
Microplastic levels and sentinel species used to monitor the environmental quality of lagoons: A state of the art in Italy
Researchers reviewed studies on microplastic pollution in Italian lagoon ecosystems and found that only 9 of more than 100 coastal transition environments have been monitored, revealing a major data gap. The review highlights the urgent need for standardized monitoring methods and better-coordinated surveys to understand how microplastics move through these ecologically and economically important habitats.
Microplastic flux through submarine groundwater discharge in a subterranean estuary of Southwest India
Researchers investigated submarine groundwater discharge as a transport pathway for microplastics in a subterranean estuary on the southwest coast of India, finding that this understudied coastal process contributes measurably to marine MP inputs alongside rivers and surface runoff.
Microplastic flux through submarine groundwater discharge in a subterranean estuary of Southwest India
Researchers investigated submarine groundwater discharge as a transport pathway for microplastics in a subterranean estuary on the southwest coast of India, finding that this understudied coastal process contributes measurably to marine MP inputs alongside rivers and surface runoff.
Groundwater systems under siege: The silent invasion of microplastics and cock-tails worldwide
This review reveals that groundwater, a critical drinking water source for billions of people, is increasingly contaminated with microplastics from surface pollution seeping downward through soil. Unlike ocean and river pollution, groundwater microplastic contamination has received far less research attention, leaving major gaps in understanding how plastics migrate underground. The findings are alarming because contaminated groundwater directly enters drinking water supplies with little to no treatment in many regions.
Assessment of microplastic pollution: distribution, composition, and sources in the El-Mellah (Algeria) and Bizerte (Tunisia) Mediterranean lagoons
Researchers assessed microplastic pollution in two North African Mediterranean lagoons — El-Mellah (Algeria) and Bizerte (Tunisia) — quantifying abundance, spatial distribution, morphological shapes, and polymer composition to characterize contamination sources and risk to coastal ecosystems.
A Global Review of Microplastic Contamination in Groundwater: Empirical Evidence and Latin American Perspectives
Scientists reviewed 129 studies and found that tiny pieces of plastic (called microplastics) are contaminating groundwater around the world, which is concerning because groundwater provides drinking water to billions of people. The research shows we don't know enough about this problem, especially in Latin America where only two studies have actually tested groundwater for plastic contamination. This matters because we need better monitoring and policies to protect our underground water sources from plastic pollution that could affect human health.
Subterranean estuaries: An overlooked pathway for microplastic transport to our oceans
Researchers quantified microplastic concentrations in the subterranean estuary of Malpe, India, and calculated the flux entering the Arabian Sea through submarine groundwater discharge, finding a mean concentration of 7.56 MPs/L and demonstrating that subterranean estuaries represent a significant but overlooked microplastic transport pathway.
Evolution of the Distribution and Dynamic of Microplastic in Water and Biota: A Study Case From the Gulf of Gabes (Southern Mediterranean Sea)
Researchers found microplastics in all surface water samples and in the digestive tracts of multiple commercially important marine species in the Gulf of Gabes, Southern Mediterranean, revealing widespread contamination in a previously understudied region.
Microplastics in sediments of artificially recharged lagoons: Case study in a Biosphere Reserve
Microplastics were found in sediments of shallow wetland lagoons in Spain, with wastewater-receiving lagoons having higher concentrations and more fibers and fragments. The study suggests that even protected wetlands declared UNESCO Biosphere Reserves are accumulating microplastic pollution from agricultural and urban water sources.
First insight into microplastic groundwater pollution in Latin America: the case of a coastal aquifer in Northwest Mexico
This is the first study to investigate microplastic contamination in groundwater in Latin America, examining a coastal aquifer in Northwest Mexico. Researchers found microplastics at all six sampled locations and at multiple depths, confirming that groundwater is not immune to this type of pollution. Since millions of people depend on groundwater for drinking water, these findings raise important questions about microplastic exposure through water supplies.
Future coastal water pollution under global change: multi-pollutant modeling
Researchers describe a global multi-pollutant modeling framework for assessing future coastal water pollution from nutrients, plastics, and chemicals under climate change and urbanization scenarios, arguing that managing multiple pollutants together is essential for achieving clean coastal water goals.
A review on microplastics pollution in coastal wetlands
Researchers reviewed existing studies on microplastic pollution in coastal wetlands — ecosystems like mangroves, salt marshes, and tidal flats — summarizing where microplastics accumulate, how they get there, and how they affect wildlife and ecosystem function. These habitats are especially vulnerable because they sit at the boundary between land and sea, trapping plastics carried by both rivers and ocean tides.
Challenges in coastal ecosystem Sustainability: Drivers of water quality degradation and their ecological impact
This review examines multiple drivers of water quality degradation in coastal ecosystems—including nutrient pollution, sedimentation, microplastics, and climate change—and discusses management strategies for improving coastal ecosystem sustainability.
Microplastics in Turkish Coastal Lagoons: Unveiling the Hidden Threat to Wetland Ecosystems
Researchers assessed microplastic abundance, composition, and seasonal variability in surface water and sediment of five Turkish coastal lagoons in the northeastern Mediterranean. Microplastics were present in all lagoons across seasons, with fibers dominating, and sediment concentrations far exceeding water column levels, revealing that these transitional ecosystems serve as significant microplastic sinks.
An identification and a prioritisation of geographic and temporal data gaps of Mediterranean marine databases
This paper mapped temporal and geographic data gaps in Mediterranean Sea environmental monitoring, identifying where and when observational data is lacking. Filling these data gaps is important for understanding microplastic distribution and accumulation patterns in one of the world's most heavily polluted marine regions.