Mud and organic content are strongly correlated with microplastic contamination in a meandering riverbed
- Author
- Maarten Van Daele (UGent) , Ben Van Bastelaere, Jens De Clercq, Inka Meyer (UGent) , Maaike Vercauteren (UGent) and Jana Asselman (UGent)
- Organization
- Project
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- Towards efficient and detailed analysis of turbidite records for geo- and climate hazard reconstructions – An integrated approach combining X-ray CT, magnetic, grain-size and geochemical analysis
- The Flemish contribution to the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC-ERIC)
- Effect assessment of ingested small microplastics and nanoplastics for human health through in vitro experiments and QSAR modelling
- Abstract
- The scale of microplastic pollution in river sediments is gradually being elucidated through an increasing number of large-scale studies. Nevertheless, microplastic distribution within a riverbed - a crucial aspect for quantification - remains poorly understood. Here we evaluate in the meandering River Lys, Belgium, how microplastic concentration varies between different sedimentary environments within the riverbed. We find that microplastic abundance is about an order of magnitude higher towards the riverbanks compared to the thalweg, corresponding with river hydrodynamics. Moreover, organic-matter and mud content are robust predictors of microplastic concentrations, apart from the outer bends, where erosion into organic-rich, muddy floodplain sediments inhibits microplastic deposition. These results increase our understanding of microplastic distribution at the small riverbed scale. They are a crucial element to guide for future sampling efforts across diverse river systems, paving the way for normalization and better quantification of microplastics trapped by river sediments and in other aquatic environments.
- Keywords
- SEDIMENTS, POLLUTION, TRANSPORT
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Van Daele et al 2024 Comms E&E Lys River MPs.pdf
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01J8CZTYCJEAFJGTDXD7TFH0NY
- MLA
- Van Daele, Maarten, et al. “Mud and Organic Content Are Strongly Correlated with Microplastic Contamination in a Meandering Riverbed.” COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT, vol. 5, no. 1, 2024, doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01613-2.
- APA
- Van Daele, M., Van Bastelaere, B., De Clercq, J., Meyer, I., Vercauteren, M., & Asselman, J. (2024). Mud and organic content are strongly correlated with microplastic contamination in a meandering riverbed. COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01613-2
- Chicago author-date
- Van Daele, Maarten, Ben Van Bastelaere, Jens De Clercq, Inka Meyer, Maaike Vercauteren, and Jana Asselman. 2024. “Mud and Organic Content Are Strongly Correlated with Microplastic Contamination in a Meandering Riverbed.” COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT 5 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01613-2.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Van Daele, Maarten, Ben Van Bastelaere, Jens De Clercq, Inka Meyer, Maaike Vercauteren, and Jana Asselman. 2024. “Mud and Organic Content Are Strongly Correlated with Microplastic Contamination in a Meandering Riverbed.” COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT 5 (1). doi:10.1038/s43247-024-01613-2.
- Vancouver
- 1.Van Daele M, Van Bastelaere B, De Clercq J, Meyer I, Vercauteren M, Asselman J. Mud and organic content are strongly correlated with microplastic contamination in a meandering riverbed. COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT. 2024;5(1).
- IEEE
- [1]M. Van Daele, B. Van Bastelaere, J. De Clercq, I. Meyer, M. Vercauteren, and J. Asselman, “Mud and organic content are strongly correlated with microplastic contamination in a meandering riverbed,” COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT, vol. 5, no. 1, 2024.
@article{01J8CZTYCJEAFJGTDXD7TFH0NY,
abstract = {{The scale of microplastic pollution in river sediments is gradually being elucidated through an increasing number of large-scale studies. Nevertheless, microplastic distribution within a riverbed - a crucial aspect for quantification - remains poorly understood. Here we evaluate in the meandering River Lys, Belgium, how microplastic concentration varies between different sedimentary environments within the riverbed. We find that microplastic abundance is about an order of magnitude higher towards the riverbanks compared to the thalweg, corresponding with river hydrodynamics. Moreover, organic-matter and mud content are robust predictors of microplastic concentrations, apart from the outer bends, where erosion into organic-rich, muddy floodplain sediments inhibits microplastic deposition. These results increase our understanding of microplastic distribution at the small riverbed scale. They are a crucial element to guide for future sampling efforts across diverse river systems, paving the way for normalization and better quantification of microplastics trapped by river sediments and in other aquatic environments.}},
articleno = {{453}},
author = {{Van Daele, Maarten and Van Bastelaere, Ben and De Clercq, Jens and Meyer, Inka and Vercauteren, Maaike and Asselman, Jana}},
issn = {{2662-4435}},
journal = {{COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT}},
keywords = {{SEDIMENTS,POLLUTION,TRANSPORT}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{10}},
title = {{Mud and organic content are strongly correlated with microplastic contamination in a meandering riverbed}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01613-2}},
volume = {{5}},
year = {{2024}},
}
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