Profiling microplastics in a forgotten river system in Southern Africa.

ABSTRACT: Microplastics have been studied in rivers worldwide with far-reaching implications for aquatic ecosystems. What is less understood is how microplastics distribute through rivers, as microplastics do not distribute ubiquitously through a river system. This study described the microplastic profile of the Nyl, Mogalakwena and Limpopo Rivers in South Africa. The study aimed to determine the driving environmental factors of microplastic distribution in a river system over multiple seasons. The study discovered relationships between flow and microplastics in sediment. This relationship allowed microplastics to have significantly (p < 0.05) different distributions over seasons. Seasons with reduced flow had higher mean microplastic abundances in water (1436 ± 4492 particles.m^-3) and se

SUBMITTER: Dahms HTJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11880085 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature