microplastics in freshwater ecosystems

The assumption that remote environmental ecosystems remain insulated from industrial fallout is rapidly disintegrating. As researchers map the complex hydrological pathways of the 21st century, freshwater microplastic pollution has emerged not merely as a localized issue of urban runoff, but as a systemic, borderless contaminant. Ranging from 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters in size, these…