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Three-Dimensional Settling Dynamics of Environmental Microplastics

James Lofty et al.

Environmental Science & Technology2026https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c12960article
AJG 3
Weight
0.41

What the paper says

Resolving the three-dimensional settling dynamics of microplastic (MP) particles is essential for developing comprehensive models of MP transport in rivers─both vertically within the water column and laterally across the channel. While previous research has largely examined one-dimensional vertical settling velocities, little is known about the lateral drifting, settling paths, and horizontal velocities of MPs. To address this, we investigated the full three-dimensional settling behavior of environmental MPs collected from rivers and ocean water, as well as from estuarine and ocean sediment. Geometric properties of 127 environmental MPs were quantified by a dynamic particle image analyzer, and their settling trajectories were recorded and reconstructed via a multicamera tracking algorithm. This enabled quantification of a particle's horizontal drift, tortuosity, amplitude and settling pattern, as well as vertical and horizontal velocities. Results showed that spherical MPs settled with minimal lateral displacement, whereas elongated particles, such as rod- and blade-shaped MPs, displayed pronounced lateral movements, reaching up to 65 times their equivalent diameter and averaging more than twice that of spheres. These dynamics suggest that elongated MPs may have a greater probability for wider lateral dispersion in rivers, increasing their likelihood for interactions with riverbanks and channel boundaries compared to more spherical shaped MPs.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c12960

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@article{james2026,
  title        = {{Three-Dimensional Settling Dynamics of Environmental Microplastics}},
  author       = {James Lofty et al.},
  journal      = {Environmental Science & Technology},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c12960},
}

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Evidence weight

0.41

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.25 × 0.4 = 0.10
M · momentum0.55 × 0.15 = 0.08
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.