Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Review of Current Issues and Management Strategies of Microplastics in Groundwater Environments

This review synthesizes current knowledge on microplastic contamination in groundwater, identifying it as a substantially understudied environment compared to surface water and marine systems. The authors describe pathways by which microplastics enter aquifers and discuss management strategies for this largely invisible contamination route.

2022 Water 64 citations
Article Tier 2

Global status, risk assessment, and knowledge gaps of microplastics in groundwater: A bibliometric analysis

This review analyzed 215 published studies on microplastics in groundwater and found that this area of research is still in its early stages compared to surface water studies. Evidence indicates that microplastic contamination is present in groundwater worldwide, but sampling methods and reported results vary widely. The authors identified significant knowledge gaps in understanding how microplastics move through underground water systems and what risks they may pose to drinking water sources.

2024 Groundwater for Sustainable Development 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Control strategies for microplastic pollution in groundwater

This review summarizes how microplastics migrate from soil into groundwater and the strategies available to control this contamination. Researchers found that microplastic concentrations in groundwater vary by region, with factors like soil type and land use influencing how particles travel underground. The study highlights the urgency of developing effective control measures since groundwater is a primary drinking water source for much of the world's population.

2023 Environmental Pollution 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding Microplastic Pollution in Groundwater: Pathways, Health Implications and Solutions

This review examines how microplastics infiltrate groundwater systems through pathways including landfills, agricultural runoff, water treatment facilities, and aging plastic pipes. Researchers found that once in groundwater, microplastics can persist for long periods and degrade water quality while interacting with other subsurface contaminants. The study highlights that groundwater microplastic contamination is an underappreciated threat to one of humanity's most important freshwater sources.

2025 Water Environment Research 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics 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.

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

Microplastics in Groundwater: Pathways, Occurrence, and Monitoring Challenges

This review provides a comprehensive look at how microplastics make their way into groundwater from surface water, seawater, and soil, and examines the challenges researchers face in detecting and monitoring them. The study found that a lack of standardized sampling and analysis methods makes it difficult to compare findings across different studies. Researchers emphasize the importance of understanding local geological conditions and preventing sample contamination to improve the reliability of groundwater microplastic monitoring.

2024 Water 20 citations
Article Tier 2

An Overview of Microplastic Contamination in Groundwater: Sources, Transport Pathways, and Environmental Implications

This review examined microplastic contamination in groundwater systems, an area that has received less research attention compared to surface water. Researchers identified key sources and transport pathways for microplastics entering groundwater, including infiltration through soil and fractured rock, and highlighted the environmental implications for drinking water supplies.

2025 Journal of Geography Environment and Earth Science International 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A comprehensive review on microplastics: Their presence in surface and ground water, environmental distribution, and impact on human and aquatic systems

This comprehensive review examines the distribution, environmental behavior, and health impacts of microplastics in surface water and groundwater systems. Researchers summarized how microplastics enter surface waters and subsequently infiltrate groundwater, acting as carriers for other contaminants along the way. The study emphasizes the need for standardized analytical procedures for groundwater microplastic research and highlights the role of particle size and morphology in determining potential health effects.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Groundwater in the age of plastic

This review examines microplastic contamination of groundwater globally, synthesizing studies on occurrence, transport pathways through soil and aquifer matrices, and the emerging implications for drinking water safety and groundwater ecosystem health.

2024
Article Tier 2

Current status of researches on microplastics in groundwater and perspectives

This review examines the current status of microplastic research in groundwater systems internationally, identifying that despite growing attention to microplastics in surface and marine waters, groundwater investigations remain sparse both in South Korea and globally. Researchers diagnosed gaps in monitoring methodology and management frameworks, proposing directions for more effective groundwater microplastic assessment.

2022 Journal of the geological society of Korea 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in groundwater: Environmental fate and possible interactions with coexisting contaminants

This review looked at how microplastics end up in groundwater and what happens when they interact with other pollutants already present. Researchers found that microplastic contamination in groundwater varies widely around the world, with levels ranging from zero to nearly 7,000 particles per liter. The study highlights that microplastics can act as carriers for other harmful substances, potentially increasing their ability to spread through groundwater and pose risks to ecosystems and human health.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A bibliometric analysis on microplastic pollution in groundwater

Researchers conducted a bibliometric analysis of publications on microplastic contamination in groundwater, identifying 695 relevant studies published between 2011 and 2022. They found that while microplastic research has surged overall, groundwater as a specific focus area remains significantly understudied compared to ocean and surface water environments. The study highlights critical knowledge gaps in understanding how microplastics transport through and contaminate subsurface water sources.

2024 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Global distribution, drivers, and potential hazards of microplastics in groundwater: A review

This review maps the global distribution of microplastics in groundwater and finds that contamination is widespread, with fiber-shaped particles and polyethylene being the most common types detected. The study highlights that climate change and local geology play underappreciated roles in how microplastics move through soil into groundwater, which is a drinking water source for billions of people worldwide.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 27 citations
Article Tier 2

State of knowledge and future research needs on microplastics in groundwater

This study used text-mining analysis of the scientific literature to summarize the state of knowledge on microplastics in groundwater, identifying research gaps around sources, transport through soil, and human exposure through drinking water. The review found that groundwater microplastic research lags behind surface water studies and that uniform detection methods are lacking.

2022 Journal of Water and Health 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic accumulation in groundwater: Data-scaled insights and future research

This data-driven review of nearly 400 groundwater samples worldwide found that microplastics are present in both shallow and deep groundwater, with open groundwater sources showing higher contamination than enclosed aquifers. The findings are relevant to human health because groundwater supplies drinking water for billions of people, and the study identifies key gaps in our understanding of how microplastics accumulate underground.

2024 Water Research 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Urban and Groundwater Microplastic Contamination: Sources, Distribution, Impacts, and Remediation Technologies

This review addressed microplastic contamination in urban environments and groundwater systems, covering source pathways from roads and stormwater runoff, distribution through urban catchments, and potential impacts on drinking water aquifers. It highlighted groundwater as an understudied but critical exposure pathway.

2024 Civil and Sustainable Urban Engineering 1 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics contamination of groundwater: Current evidence and future perspectives. A review

This review examines the current evidence on microplastic contamination of groundwater, which supplies drinking water to over 2 billion people worldwide. Researchers found that microplastics can reach groundwater through atmospheric deposition, surface water interaction, urban infrastructure, and agricultural soils, though detection remains challenging. The study proposes a new "Hydrogeoplastic Model" framework and calls for improved detection methods to better characterize microplastic fate in aquifer systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 225 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2024 Environmental Pollution 12 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Freshwater and Terrestrial Environment: A Review

This review critically analyzes the current state of research on micro- and nanoplastic pollution in freshwater and terrestrial environments. Researchers examine how these particles are transported through soil and water systems, their environmental fate, and their ecological impacts on living organisms. The study identifies significant knowledge gaps in the field, particularly around the characterization of nanoplastics and the long-term effects of plastic particle accumulation in non-marine environments.

2020 Water 242 citations
Article Tier 2

Source, dynamics, and risks of microplastics and nanoplastics in agricultural groundwater systems

This review found that agricultural activities—particularly plastic mulches, pesticide containers, and fertilizer bags—are major sources of micro- and nanoplastic contamination in groundwater, with nanoplastics showing enhanced mobility in soil and elevated persistence compared to surface water contaminants.

2025 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências