Yan Zhang, Mingchang Guan, Peng Shi, Jinxi Song, Lingzhou Cui
{"title":"Migration of microplastics in hyporheic zone sediments: Beiluo River, China","authors":"Yan Zhang, Mingchang Guan, Peng Shi, Jinxi Song, Lingzhou Cui","doi":"10.1007/s12665-025-12574-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Microplastics (MPs) are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that settle from surface waters into sediments. They can then be transferred to deep sediments via hyporheic exchange. Most studies on MPs in hyporheic zone sediments have been Limited to surface sediments. This study investigated the pollution, sources, and migration modes of MPs in sediments at various depths within the hyporheic zone of the Beiluo River. MPs were present in the surface water and sediments at different depths in the hyporheic zone. The average abundances of MPs in surface water and surface, middle, and deep sediments were 12 items·L<sup>−1</sup>, 313 items·kg<sup>−1</sup>, 206 items·kg<sup>−1</sup>, and 166 items·kg<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. The abundance of MPs in the sediments decreased with increasing depth. The physical characteristics of MPs were mainly fibrous, a small size (0.05–0.50 mm), and a blue color. The main polymer types of MPs were PE, PP, and PET. The main sources of MP pollution in the Beiluo River Basin were washing wastewater and agricultural mulch. Small MPs primarily migrated via hyporheic exchange. This process strongly influenced their vertical spatial distribution. The results of this study provide a basis for further research on the effects of hyporheic exchange on the vertical distribution of MPs in sediments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":542,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Earth Sciences","volume":"84 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Earth Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12665-025-12574-w","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm that settle from surface waters into sediments. They can then be transferred to deep sediments via hyporheic exchange. Most studies on MPs in hyporheic zone sediments have been Limited to surface sediments. This study investigated the pollution, sources, and migration modes of MPs in sediments at various depths within the hyporheic zone of the Beiluo River. MPs were present in the surface water and sediments at different depths in the hyporheic zone. The average abundances of MPs in surface water and surface, middle, and deep sediments were 12 items·L−1, 313 items·kg−1, 206 items·kg−1, and 166 items·kg−1, respectively. The abundance of MPs in the sediments decreased with increasing depth. The physical characteristics of MPs were mainly fibrous, a small size (0.05–0.50 mm), and a blue color. The main polymer types of MPs were PE, PP, and PET. The main sources of MP pollution in the Beiluo River Basin were washing wastewater and agricultural mulch. Small MPs primarily migrated via hyporheic exchange. This process strongly influenced their vertical spatial distribution. The results of this study provide a basis for further research on the effects of hyporheic exchange on the vertical distribution of MPs in sediments.
期刊介绍:
Environmental Earth Sciences is an international multidisciplinary journal concerned with all aspects of interaction between humans, natural resources, ecosystems, special climates or unique geographic zones, and the earth:
Water and soil contamination caused by waste management and disposal practices
Environmental problems associated with transportation by land, air, or water
Geological processes that may impact biosystems or humans
Man-made or naturally occurring geological or hydrological hazards
Environmental problems associated with the recovery of materials from the earth
Environmental problems caused by extraction of minerals, coal, and ores, as well as oil and gas, water and alternative energy sources
Environmental impacts of exploration and recultivation – Environmental impacts of hazardous materials
Management of environmental data and information in data banks and information systems
Dissemination of knowledge on techniques, methods, approaches and experiences to improve and remediate the environment
In pursuit of these topics, the geoscientific disciplines are invited to contribute their knowledge and experience. Major disciplines include: hydrogeology, hydrochemistry, geochemistry, geophysics, engineering geology, remediation science, natural resources management, environmental climatology and biota, environmental geography, soil science and geomicrobiology.