Microplastics are the emerging non-degradable pollutants in natural ecosystems. It impacts humans and wildlife, mainly aquatic species, by getting incorporated into the food chain due to their sizes (< 5 mm). Microplastics are common in the marine ecosystems but are also present in the freshwater ecosystems, such as in lakes, ponds, river basins, wetlands, or even in moist agricultural lands and groundwater. This paper focuses on the primary sources, detection, and quantification of microplastics in wetlands, both freshwater and coastal, based on research conducted worldwide. Fibers (thread), fragments, filaments, foams, and microbeads are common shapes of microplastics observed in wetland ecosystems. Microplastics pollution has been observed in wetlands with an abundance of up to 5531 particles m−3 and 6360 particles kg–1 in water and sediment samples, respectively. This study also discusses the recent progress in extraction, characterization, and quantification techniques in order to identify research gaps, such as the interaction of microplastic and heavy metals and organic compounds in the wetland ecosystem. Microplastics in size range of 0.12–9.5 mm have been reported in wetland biota. Furthermore, ecological concerns are identified in terms of threats and disturbances caused by microplastics to the freshwater organisms present in wetlands. Finally, it outlines the future scope, research gap, and potential solutions for microplastic pollution research in wetlands.
The paper provides new insights into marine environments and human activities and suggests plastic waste should be controlled through laws that regulate waste sources and plastic additives in order to solve the problem of plastic accumulation in the oceans.
The paper strengthens the evidence that microplastics are present in the studied biota, suggesting that they are transferred between trophic levels through the interconnected food chain/web. The presence of micro plastics in fish guts highlights the need for further research on processing interventions for reducing microplastic contamination.
PPE (face masks and gloves) were surveyed at six Indian beaches. There were 496 PPE counted with an average density of 1.08 × 10−3 PPE m−2. Previous studies found similar PPE density. Face masks accounted for 98.39% of all PPE recorded, while gloves accounted for only 1.61%. As a result of the increase in vaccination[…]
The research seeks to depict and reduce marine plastic pollution in India. A GIS map has been created to show plastic input from different river basins. In order to address the challenges of marine litter in India, a guiding model has been developed. According to the predictive model, India produces 536 thousand tons of municipal[…]
Plastic research, policies, waste management, socioeconomics, challenges, and opportunities are discussed. Marine plastic studies have focused on a few locations, providing information on distribution and interactions with organisms. In addition to scientific investigation, enforcement, improvisation, and, if necessary, framing new policies, integrated technologies to manage plastic waste are essential.