Interactive effect of urbanization and flood in modulating microplastic pollution in rivers.

Freshwater ecosystems play an important role in transporting and accumulating microplastics. Spatial and temporal variability in microplastic pollution can create critical spots and moments of elevated pollution, however, the consequences of their interaction are still poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the interaction between urbanization and flood episodes on river microplastic pollution.

Protocol for microplastic pollution monitoring in freshwater ecosystems: Towards a high-throughput sample processing - MICROPLASTREAM.

Robust and reproducible quantification of microplastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems requires the processing of a large amount of samples collected in varying environmental conditions. Such samples are characterized by a high amount of organic matter compared to microplastics and are highly variable in terms of the quantity and the composition of matrices, requiring a standardized analytical protocol for sample treatment and analysis. However, two important and time-consuming steps for microplastic recovery are the elimination of organic matter and microscopic inspection of samples.

Urbanization and hydrological conditions drive the spatial and temporal variability of microplastic pollution in the Garonne River.

Microplastic (MP) pollution represents a novel environmental pressure acting on freshwater ecosystems. Improving our understanding of the dynamics of MP pollution in freshwater ecosystems is therefore a prerequisite for managing and limiting this pollution. In this study, we quantified the spatial and temporal variability of MP (size range 700 μm - 5 mm) pollution in surface water in 14 sites located across the Garonne river catchment (Southwestern France, 6 in the main river and 8 tributaries).

Stable Isotope Insights into Microplastic Contamination within Freshwater Food Webs.

Microplastic pollution and ingestion are ubiquitous phenomena in freshwater ecosystems. However, our understanding of the role of trophic niche in microplastic ingestion is still limited. Here, we quantified the level of microplastic (700 μm to 5 mm) contamination for macroinvertebrates and fish within the Garonne river.