A Geomorphic Framework for the Analysis of Microplastics in Riverine Sediments

¹ Department of Geosciences & Natural Resources, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, USA
² Tuscola High School, Waynesville, NC, USA

^* Corresponding author: jmiller@email.wcu.edu

Abstract

The wide-spread use and persistence of plastics in the environment have placed them on the list of significant emerging pollutants. In contrast to marine environments, the analysis of plastic debris, including microplastics (particles <5 mm in maximum diameter), in freshwater systems is limited, and even fewer studies have examined microplastics in riverine sediments. Nonetheless, it has become clear that microplastics are now a ubiquitous component of riverine ecosystems and their distribution is dependent on anthropogenic inputs and the physical and chemical processes that control their transport, transformation, and deposition along the drainage network. In many ways, the transport and fate of microplastics will parallel that of other particulate matter that has been extensively studied for at least the last 50 years. Here, we briefly explore the application of a geomorphic approach to the assessment of sediment-contaminated rivers to the microplastic problem, and argue that future studies can significantly benefit by incorporating the principles of this approach into their analyses.