Plastic transport in rivers: Bridging the gap between surface and water column.

Rivers act as an important transportation pathway for land-based plastic litter to the ocean. Recently, rivers have also been identified as potential sinks and reservoirs for plastics. Knowledge of plastic transport over different depth profiles in rivers remains limited.

River plastic transport and storage budget.

Rivers are one of the main conduits that deliver plastic from land into the sea, and also act as reservoirs for plastic retention. Yet, our understanding of the extent of river exposure to plastic pollution remains limited. In particular, there has been no comprehensive quantification of the contributions from different river compartments, such as the water surface, water column, riverbank and floodplain to the overall river plastic transport and storage.

Macroplastic concentrations in the water column of the river Rhine increase with higher discharge.

Riverine macroplastic pollution (>0.5 cm) negatively impacts ecosystems and human livelihoods. Monitoring data are crucial for understanding this issue and for the design of effective interventions strategies.

Quantification and characterization of macro- and mesoplastic items in the water column of the river Waal.

Although studies on plastic concentrations mainly focus on the marine environment, recently, an increasing number of studies point out environmental consequences in freshwater environments around the world. However, there still is a paucity of field data on the abundance of riverine plastic items, in particular in the water column. In this study, we provide an overview of macro- and mesoplastic concentrations, categories, ages, and origin over several years in the water column of the river Waal, in the Netherlands.