Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Global Marine Waters and Biota: Effectiveness of Potential Bioindicators in Mirroring Local Pollution Levels

This review assessed the global occurrence of microplastics in marine waters and biota and evaluated the effectiveness of potential bioindicator species for monitoring plastic pollution. The authors find that standardizing bioindicator protocols is essential for tracking the effectiveness of microplastic mitigation efforts.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Contaminants Research 5 citations
Commentary Tier 3

Editorial: Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Sources, Distribution, Biological Effects and Socio-Economic Impacts

This editorial introduces a journal collection on microplastics in the marine environment, summarizing current knowledge about sources, distribution, biological effects, and emerging research directions. It provides a broad overview of the state of the science on marine microplastic pollution.

2021 Frontiers in Environmental Science 8 citations
Commentary Tier 3

Editorial: Impacts of Marine Litter

This editorial introduces a special issue on the impacts of marine litter, covering research on plastic debris effects on marine organisms, ecosystems, and human health. It summarizes the state of knowledge and research priorities for addressing marine plastic pollution.

2019 Frontiers in Marine Science 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine litter: trends and impacts in marine fauna

This review synthesizes evidence on marine litter sources, distribution, and ecological impacts, with particular focus on microplastics as a pervasive contaminant across all marine habitats. It finds that microplastics threaten marine life through ingestion, entanglement, and chemical transport, with impacts spanning trophic levels from plankton to large marine mammals.

2025 Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: Present perspectives and the way forward

Researchers reviewed how microplastics — small plastic particles less than 5 mm — affect marine life from microscopic phytoplankton all the way up to marine mammals and humans, finding documented harms across nearly every level of ocean life. The review calls for urgent research into environmentally realistic exposure levels and stronger policies to reduce single-use plastic production.

2022 The Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research 78 citations
Review Tier 2

Micro Plastics in The Marine Environment: A Review of Their Effects on Marine Organisms and Ecosystems

This review examines the effects of microplastics on marine organisms and ecosystems, summarizing evidence for MP ingestion across trophic levels, physical and chemical harm to marine life, and the pathways through which marine MP pollution threatens biodiversity and fisheries.

2025 International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering Management & Applied Science
Article Tier 2

Occurrence, Distribution, and Extraction Methods of Microplastics in Marine Organisms

This review synthesizes global data on microplastic occurrence and distribution across marine organisms, comparing the advantages and limitations of different extraction and identification methods used in the field.

2024
Systematic Review Tier 1

A global perspective on microplastic bioaccumulation in marine organisms

This systematic review examines microplastic contamination in marine organisms around the world, documenting how plastics of various sizes and types build up in seafood species. Since many of these species end up on our plates, the findings raise important questions about how much microplastic humans may be consuming through seafood.

2023 Ecological Indicators 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution and importance of microplastics in the marine environment: A review of the sources, fate, effects, and potential solutions

This review synthesized research on the distribution and significance of microplastics across the marine environment, covering sources, transport pathways, ecological interactions, and the state of knowledge on biological and chemical effects.

2017 Environment International 2517 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Microplastic Impacts in the Marine Environment: A Review

This review summarizes the sources, environmental fate, and ecological impacts of microplastics in marine environments, covering impacts across food webs from phytoplankton to marine mammals. The authors identify key knowledge gaps and emphasize that biodiversity loss and food chain contamination are the most well-documented marine impacts. The review calls for integrated monitoring programs and international policy action to reduce plastic inputs to the ocean.

2021 Preprints.org 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in marine ecosystems: Sources, effects, and mitigation strategies

This review examines the sources, environmental pathways, ecological impacts across trophic levels, and mitigation strategies for microplastic pollution in marine ecosystems, synthesizing current evidence on biological harm and evaluating policy frameworks, technological solutions, and individual behavioral changes aimed at reducing marine microplastic loads.

2022 International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine microplastic debris: a targeted plan for understanding and quantifying interactions with marine life

This review examines the mechanisms by which marine organisms interact with microplastic debris and proposes a targeted research plan for understanding and quantifying these interactions and their role in redistributing plastic throughout ocean environments. The authors synthesize laboratory and field evidence showing that biotic processes - including ingestion, egestion, and biofouling - may significantly alter the spatial distribution and long-term fate of microplastics in marine systems.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

A whale of a plastic tale: A plea for interdisciplinary studies to tackle micro- and nanoplastic pollution in the marine realm

This perspective calls for interdisciplinary collaboration across chemistry, biology, ecology, and toxicology to address micro- and nanoplastic pollution in marine environments, arguing that fragmented research approaches are insufficient to understand this complex global threat.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Feasting on microplastics: ingestion by and effects on marine organisms

This review synthesizes experimental studies on microplastic ingestion and effects across a wide range of marine organisms, finding evidence of physical harm, reproductive effects, and reduced feeding in multiple taxa. The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the biological consequences of microplastic ingestion and identifies key knowledge gaps for future research.

2018 Aquatic Biology 236 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of marine organisms at multi-trophic level to study the integrated biological responses induced by microplastics through food-chain

Researchers used marine organisms across multiple trophic levels to study how microplastics move and accumulate through the food chain, finding that toxicological effects intensify at higher trophic levels due to bioaccumulation of plastic particles and associated chemical pollutants.

2024
Article Tier 2

Tools and constraints in monitoring interactions between marine litter and megafauna: Insights from case studies around the world

Researchers synthesized case studies from seven global monitoring programs on marine litter interactions with megafauna — including fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals — examining both macro-debris entanglement and microplastic ingestion, and discussed the critical need for standardized assessment methods to support international environmental policy.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 84 citations
Article Tier 2

A global snapshot of microplastic contamination in sediments and biota of marine protected areas

A global snapshot of microplastic contamination in sediments and biota across marine protected areas (MPAs) found that microplastics are ubiquitous even in these conservation zones, undermining their protective function. The review synthesizes occurrence data and calls for microplastic monitoring to be integrated into MPA management plans.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics in Aquatic Environments: State of the Art and Beyond

This editorial introduces a special issue on the state of micro- and nanoplastic pollution in aquatic environments. The collection brings together current research addressing the detection, distribution, and ecological impacts of these tiny plastic particles in water systems worldwide.

2024 Water 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano-plastics and their analytical characterisation and fate in the marine environment: From source to sea

Researchers reviewed the sources, environmental fate, organism interactions, and analytical detection methods for nano-sized plastic polymers in the marine environment, concluding that nanoplastics pose the greatest ecological risk among plastic size fractions and that standardized analytical protocols for nanoplastic characterization are urgently needed.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 142 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Progress on Marine Microplastics Pollution Research: A Review on Pollution Occurrence, Detection, and Environmental Effects

This review summarized current knowledge on marine microplastic pollution, covering detection methods, occurrence across ocean zones and organism types, and environmental effects, while identifying key research gaps around long-term ecological impacts and standardized monitoring protocols.

2021 Water 29 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: A review

This review synthesized the state of knowledge on microplastics as marine contaminants, covering their sources, pathways, distribution, biological uptake, and potential ecological and toxicological effects.

2011 Marine Pollution Bulletin 5709 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of microplastic pollution on the ocean and marine animals: A comprehensive review

This comprehensive review synthesized evidence on how microplastic pollution affects ocean health and marine animals, covering ingestion, entanglement, chemical toxicity, and ecosystem-level impacts. It found pervasive harm across marine food webs and called for urgent global reduction measures.

2024 Global NEST Journal 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards the suitable monitoring of ingestion of microplastics by marine biota: A review

This review assessed various monitoring methods for detecting microplastic ingestion by marine biota, comparing laboratory and field-based approaches. The authors recommend method selection based on organism type and research question and call for more consistent reporting standards to enable cross-study comparison.

2016 Environmental Pollution 254 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological Impacts of Micro(Nano)plastics in the Environment: Biotic and Abiotic Interactions

This editorial or overview paper addresses the ecotoxicological impacts of micro- and nanoplastics across both biotic (organisms) and abiotic (physical and chemical) dimensions, framing the problem as a multifaceted challenge involving environmental contamination, ecosystem health, and potential human health risks. It underscores the need for integrated approaches across disciplines and stakeholder groups to fully understand and manage plastic pollution. The work contributes a broad conceptual framing for ongoing research into microplastic hazards.

2023 Microplastics 2 citations