Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

An integrated assessment of microplastic pollution in coastal surface water and sediment of Japan

Researchers conducted a comprehensive survey of microplastic pollution across 14 coastal locations around Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa, measuring concentrations of 288.7 g/km2 in surface water and 1,185 kg/km2 in sediment and characterizing polymer types, shapes, and size distributions.

2025
Article Tier 2

An Integrated Assessment of Microplastic Pollution in Coastal Surface Water and Sediment of Japan

Researchers conducted a comprehensive survey of microplastic pollution in surface water and sediment at 15 coastal locations across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. They extracted over 53,000 suspected microplastic particles and identified the most common polymers using FTIR spectroscopy. The study provides an integrated baseline dataset for understanding the extent and distribution of microplastic contamination along Japanese coastlines.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

TARA-JAMBIO Microplastic Survey: A study of microplastic pollution in coastal areas of Japan

Researchers from the Tara Ocean Foundation and the Japanese Association for Marine Biology (JAMBIO) conducted a joint survey of microplastic pollution in Japanese coastal surface waters and sediments, targeting nearshore environments where data remain scarce. The study aimed to quantify the distribution and drivers of microplastics across multiple coastal sites to fill critical knowledge gaps in regional marine plastic pollution monitoring.

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

Microplastic volumes in Tokyo Bay

Researchers quantified microplastic volumes across multiple sites in Tokyo Bay, Japan, finding spatial variation linked to urban runoff and river inputs, with surface waters and sediments showing distinct accumulation patterns.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 8 citations
Article Tier 2

TARA-JAMBIO Microplastic Survey: A study of microplastic pollution in coastal areas of Japan

Researchers conducted the TARA-JAMBIO Joint Microplastics Survey to characterize microplastic pollution in Japanese coastal waters, filling a knowledge gap on the quantity, sources, and spatial distribution of nearshore marine microplastics through a collaboration between the Tara Ocean Foundation and the Japanese Association for Marine Biology.

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

In-situ analysis of small microplastics in coastal surface water samples of the subtropical island of Okinawa, Japan

Researchers performed in-situ analysis of small microplastics in coastal surface water samples, demonstrating the feasibility of field-based detection methods for capturing fine particles that are often missed in standard sampling. The study contributes to improving microplastic monitoring in coastal environments.

2020 arXiv (Cornell University)
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive Understanding of Microplastics Inflow Off the Coast of Funabashi

Researchers conducted continuous monitoring of microplastic (MP) contamination in rivers, sewage, and coastal waters around Funabashi in Tokyo Bay, finding that MP number densities showed high temporal variability and a gradual decreasing trend, with upstream river sources driving contamination that diminished toward the sea as particles settled into bottom sediments, while sewage was also implicated as a contributor to marine MP pollution.

2025 Japanese Journal of JSCE
Article Tier 2

High-Resolution Mapping of Japanese Microplastic and Macroplastic Emissions from the Land into the Sea

Researchers developed a high-resolution method to map microplastic and macroplastic emissions from Japanese river catchments into the sea, using correlations between observed river concentrations and basin characteristics such as urban area ratio and population density to generate nationwide plastic emission estimates.

2020 Water 85 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal variations of surface water microplastics near Kyushu, Japan: A quali-quantitative analysis

Researchers conducted six surveys over 14 months at nine stations near Kyushu, Japan, identifying 6,131 microplastic items with an average abundance of 0.49 items per square meter and average size of 1.71 mm. Spatiotemporal variability was high, with the greatest differences between sampling locations exceeding differences between seasons.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic abundance in the semi-enclosed Osaka Bay, Japan

Researchers quantified microplastic abundance in the semi-enclosed Osaka Bay, Japan, finding elevated concentrations near river mouths and urban coastal zones, and characterizing dominant polymer types consistent with consumer plastics.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the sediments of small-scale Japanese rivers: Abundance and distribution, characterization, sources-to-sink, and ecological risks

Researchers characterized microplastic pollution in sediments of four small-scale Japanese rivers, finding widespread contamination and identifying polymer types and potential sources, highlighting that even small river systems serve as microplastic transport pathways.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 109 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental implications of microplastic pollution in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean

Researchers assessed microplastic concentrations, distribution, and characteristics across the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, finding widespread contamination with significant spatial variation and identifying environmental implications for marine ecosystems in this understudied region.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution in North Yellow Sea, China: Observations on occurrence, distribution and identification

Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution across the North Yellow Sea, documenting their occurrence, distribution, and characteristics, and finding widespread contamination with higher concentrations in coastal areas and near river inputs.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 412 citations
Article Tier 2

Concentrations and carbonyl index of microplastic in surface seawater in southeastern coastal region off Japan, Northwestern Pacific

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in surface seawater along the southeastern coast of Japan, from Okinawa to the Tokai region. They found relatively low but measurable levels of microplastics at most stations, with higher concentrations near a coastal channel, and noted that many particles showed signs of environmental weathering. The study contributes baseline data on microplastic pollution in a major ocean current system in the Northwestern Pacific.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Status and Issues of Microplastic Pollution Research

This Japanese review summarized microplastic research in river and ocean environments, including national estimates of plastic discharged from Japan's rivers to the sea and microplastic distribution in Tokyo Bay. The paper also reviewed current analytical methods and their limitations for measuring small microplastic particles.

2021 Journal of Japan Society on Water Environment 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Dredged Soil

Researchers (in Japan) developed a standardized method for detecting microplastics in dredged marine sediment and applied it to samples from harbors across Japan. This is the first comprehensive nationwide survey of microplastics in harbor dredge spoils, revealing widespread contamination that raises concerns about where this material is disposed.

2023 Japanese Journal of JSCE
Article Tier 2

A Field Investigate on Curent Status of Microplastic Pollution on Sandy Beaches of Osaka Bay, Japan

Researchers investigated microplastic pollution on sandy beaches across Osaka Bay, Japan, sampling 13 coastal sites and finding concentrations ranging from 50 to 9,500 particles per square meter with most accumulation above the maximum monthly high-tide line. The study found that the innermost areas of the bay had markedly higher contamination, averaging 253-313 particles per square meter compared to a bay-wide mean of 52 particles per square meter.

2024 Japanese Journal of JSCE
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Pollution in the Seto Inland Sea and Sea of Japan Surrounded Yamaguchi Prefecture Areas, Japan: Abundance, Characterization and Distribution, and Potential Occurrences

Microplastic contamination in the Seto Inland Sea and Sea of Japan surrounding Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan was found at levels comparable to other polluted regions worldwide. Fragments and small microplastics dominated, suggesting local degradation of larger plastic items as the primary source.

2020 Journal of Water and Environment Technology 34 citations
Article Tier 2

A large-scale investigation of microplastic contamination: Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in European beach sediment

This large-scale investigation characterized microplastic contamination across a wide geographic area, documenting abundance and polymer types and providing a baseline dataset for tracking pollution trends over time.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 450 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of coated fertilizer used in paddy fields as a source of microplastics in the marine environment

Researchers found that polyethylene microcapsules from slow-release coated fertilizers used in Japanese paddy fields are a major source of coastal microplastic pollution, comprising up to 90% of all microplastics sampled during irrigation season, with coastal density influenced by topographic and meteorological conditions beyond simple agricultural land area.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Progress on microplastics pollution and its ecological effects in the coastal environment

This review systematically summarizes a decade of research on microplastic pollution and its ecological effects in coastal environments worldwide, identifying persistent technical challenges in sampling standardization, particle identification, and ecological impact assessment. Researchers highlight the need for unified methodologies to better understand the sources, fate, and biological consequences of coastal microplastic contamination.

2015 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Global mapping for the occurrence of all-sized microplastics in seafloor sediments

Researchers compiled global seafloor microplastic data from 155 marine sediment samples including detailed sampling metadata and abundance measurements for 20 microplastic categories, providing foundational data for understanding the distribution and uncertainty of microplastic contamination on the seafloor.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Preliminary Assessment into the Prevalence and Distribution of Microplastics in North and South Pacific Island Beaches

Researchers conducted a preliminary investigation into microplastic prevalence on eight beaches across North and South Pacific Island locations in New Zealand and Hawaii, analyzing contamination as a function of beach location, sand type, and microplastic morphology. The study found microplastics at all eight sites, highlighting the widespread distribution of plastic pollution across remote Pacific Island shorelines.

2023 Microplastics 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and spatial distribution of microplastics in sediments from Norderney

Researchers surveyed sediments from Norderney in the North Sea and found widespread microplastic contamination, documenting spatial distribution patterns and particle characteristics across this tidally influenced coastal environment.

2014 Environmental Pollution 608 citations