Hydroclimatic-driven pulse enrichment amplifies riverine microplastic export in developing countries.

Authors

Hehao Qin, Maodian Liu, Yanxu Zhang, Qianru Zhang, Changhao Xiao, Chengzhen Zhou, Xingrui Cai, Xinran Qiu, Xuejun Wang

Published in

Science (New York, N.Y.). Volume 393. Issue 6816. Pages eaeb4487. Sep 10, 2026. Epub Sep 10, 2026.

Abstract

Rivers are key conduits in the global microplastic cycle, but how much they export to ` ocean and what controls this export remain unresolved. Here, we present a global daily dataset of riverine microplastic concentrations and exports and find that rivers delivered far more microplastics to the ocean than most previous estimates suggest. Ninety-six percent of this export originated in the Global South, with Southeast and East Asia contributing >50% of the total flux. Furthermore, ~70% of global freshwater discharge exhibits "pulse enrichment," whereby rainfall-driven high flows trigger spikes in microplastic concentrations and fluxes; 80% of these cases occur in developing countries. Without stronger upstream controls on plastic production and waste management, climate-driven increases in extreme rainfall may intensify these pulses, worsening marine microplastic pollution.

PMID:
42721238
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Sep 2026.

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