Distribution and composition of plastic debris along the river shore in the Selenga River basin in Mongolia

Battulga, Batdulam; Kawahigashi, Masayuki; Oyuntsetseg, Bolormaa

doi:10.1007/s11356-019-04632-1

Cited by 74 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…For example, no published data on microplastics in the largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Baikal (Russia), was found. However, Battulga et al () presented results on plastic debris along the shore of the Selenga River, a Baikal tributary, in Mongolia. Polystyrene foam, believed to be from local sources, was observed to be the major type of debris.…”

Section: Microplastics In Freshwatersmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Hale¹,

Seeley²,

Guardia³

et al. 2020

JGR Oceans

673

270

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Society has become increasingly reliant on plastics since commercial production began in about 1950. Their versatility, stability, light weight, and low production costs have fueled global demand. Most plastics are initially used and discarded on land. Nonetheless, the amount of microplastics in some oceanic compartments is predicted to double by 2030. To solve this global problem, we must understand plastic composition, physical forms, uses, transport, and fragmentation into microplastics (and nanoplastics). Plastic debris/microplastics arise from land disposal, wastewater treatment, tire wear, paint failure, textile washing, and at-sea losses. Riverine and atmospheric transport, storm water, and disasters facilitate releases. In surface waters plastics/microplastics weather, biofoul, aggregate, and sink, are ingested by organisms and redistributed by currents. Ocean sediments are likely the ultimate destination. Plastics release additives, concentrate environmental contaminants, and serve as substrates for biofilms, including exotic and pathogenic species. Microplastic abundance increases as fragment size decreases, as does the proportion of organisms capable of ingesting them. Particles <20 μm may penetrate cell membranes, exacerbating risks. Exposure can compromise feeding, metabolic processes, reproduction, and behavior. But more investigation is required to draw definitive conclusions. Human ingestion of contaminated seafood and water is a concern. Microplastics indoors present yet uncharacterized risks, magnified by the time we spend inside (>90%) and the abundance of polymeric products therein. Scientific challenges include improving microplastic sampling and characterization approaches, understanding long-term behavior, additive bioavailability, and organismal and ecosystem health risks. Solutions include improving globally based pollution prevention, developing degradable polymers and additives, and reducing consumption/expanding plastic reuse.

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Section: Microplastics In Freshwatersmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

Hale¹,

Seeley²,

Guardia³

et al. 2020

JGR Oceans

673

270

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Similar approaches use a variety of researchers to perform fieldwork. The training level of these researchers range from school children (Kiessling et al, 2019) to trained professionals (Battulga et al, 2019). When deciding on who performs the fieldwork, two main aspects should be considered: the accuracy of the data gathered and the amount of locations that can be sampled.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this we have performed a literature review using the Wageningen University depository and Google Scholar, using different combinations of the following keywords: plastic, litter, riverbank, river shore, lakeshore, and river. From this, protocols most similar to the River-OSPAR method were selected, these being the Plastic Pirates project, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marine debris monitoring protocol, and a litter identification protocol as proposed by Battulga et al (2019). Selected articles were then analyzed using the same key characteristics as used for the Beach-and River-OSPAR comparison.…”

Section: Comparative Literature Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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An evaluation of the River-OSPAR method for quantifying macrolitter on Dutch riverbanks

Emmerik¹,

Vriend²,

Roebroek³

2020

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“…Comparing collections to discharge in the region, and unlike the results from the Baldwin et al (2016) study, the authors determined storm water was not a source of micro-plastics in the Montana study area (Barrows et al, 2018). In a study of micro-plastics in five tributary basins of the Selenga River in Mongolia, Battulga et al (2019) selected 12 sampling sites along river shorelines, collecting once during the dry season in August. They classified micro-plastic debris by subdividing it (mega-, macro-, meso-, and micro-fractions) and then typing it (foam, fragment, fiber, and film) and finally delineating polymers (polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyurethane) (Battulga et al, 2019).…”

Section: Background Understanding Freshwater Littermentioning

confidence: 94%

Adapting Coastal Collection Methods for River Assessment to Increase Data on Global Plastic Pollution: Examples From India and Indonesia

Owens

Kamil²

2020

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Marine debris often begins as litter or waste on land. Rivers play an important role in transporting this debris from communities to ocean systems, and yet we lack data on debris in freshwater systems. This work promotes eliminating the gap in knowledge between debris in marine and freshwater systems through use of a consistent, replicable methodology that can be used to improve data on freshwater shoreline debris. Expansion in the application of this method globally can allow researchers to ground-truth estimates of the debris entering the world's oceans via rivers. Widespread use of this method would provide data on the litter degrading in the world's riverine systems, an important ecological problem in its own right often sidelined in work on marine debris. Improved ground-truthing will also shed light on the missing plastics question: the disparity between input estimates and measurement of plastic waste in the world's oceans. Cataloging the way debris moves through, and remains a part of, freshwater systems is imperative to addressing the global plastic waste problem. Here we share examples of how the method has been applied in the Tukad Badung river in Indonesia and the Karamana river in India.

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Distribution and composition of plastic debris along the river shore in the Selenga River basin in Mongolia

Cited by 74 publications

References 68 publications

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

A Global Perspective on Microplastics

An evaluation of the River-OSPAR method for quantifying macrolitter on Dutch riverbanks

Adapting Coastal Collection Methods for River Assessment to Increase Data on Global Plastic Pollution: Examples From India and Indonesia

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