Description:

"Accumulation of Small Microplastics in Riverbed Sediments From Hyporheic Exchange Flow"
Tues., Feb. 23, 12:00-1:00 pm Central Time (US)
 

Join the Program on Plastics, Ecosystems, and Public Health at the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern University (ISEN) for this exclusive virtual seminar. Space is limited.

 
Dr. Jennifer D. Drummond 
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at the School of Geography, 
Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham (UK)

Microplastics (1 - 1000 μm) are abundantly found in streambed sediments, including both small and low-density particles of neutral and positive buoyancy. Hyporheic exchange, the flow of water into streambed sediments, alters the fate of microplastics in freshwaters. Microplastics can remain in sediments for months to years before transporting further downstream, especially particles <100 μm in diameter, irrespective of polymer type. Models that do not include hyporheic exchange are therefore likely to substantially underestimate the deposition, retention, and long-term accumulation of microplastics in streambed sediments.