The DOI matches its Crossref record; 71 of the 71 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Microplastics entering northwestern Lake Ontario are diverse and linked to urban sources
Abstract
The sources of microplastics and other anthropogenic particles in freshwater are not well understood. The Greater Toronto Area, Canada's most populous urban area, offers a great study area for understanding the sources and pathways for microplastics to enter freshwater ecosystems. Here, we quantified and characterized microplastics and other anthropogenic particles from Lake Ontario surface waters and source waters (including stormwater runoff, agricultural runoff, and treated wastewater effluent) to better understand sources to the Great Lakes. Anthropogenic particle concentrations in lake samples were 0.8 particles L-1. In source waters, average concentrations were relatively higher in stormwater and wastewater, with 15.4 particles L-1 and 13.3 particles L-1, respectively, compared to 0.9 particles L-1 on average in agricultural runoff. Source waters revealed distinct signatures related to the morphologies of anthropogenic particles, e.g., fibers in wastewater. In addition, many upstream watershed characteristics were found to be significant predictors of anthropogenic particle concentration. Proximity to urban areas were positively correlated to anthropogenic particle concentrations. Future studies should focus on local source-apportionment to inform management and prevent further contamination of microplastics to freshwater ecosystems.
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“These results may be attributed to the high contamination in the sediment and water in Humber Bay (where the fish were caught) owing to the proximity of the site to Toronto, a large urban center.37,57”
From Microplastics and Anthropogenic Particles in Recreationally Caught Freshwater Fish from an Urbanized Region of the North American Great Lakes (2024) · cites this paper as [57]
Citations
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Items 401–406 of 406
Valeo, C., Zhang, Z., & Gupta, R. (2026) · Frontiers in Environmental Science · doi:10.3389/fenvs.2026.1903654
Impact of photooxidation on the fragmentation of microplastics: A review
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Metadata
- Authors
- Grbić, J., Helm, P., Athey, S., & Rochman, C. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Rochman, Chelsea M.
- Venue
- Water Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-05
- Volume
- 174
- Pages
- 115623
- ISSN
- 0043-1354 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3006417062
- Cited by
- 407
- References
- 71
- Citations by year
- 2026: 39 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 81 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 76 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 18
- FWCI
- 12.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Water Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Urban Stormwater Management Solutions
- Keywords
- microplastics, anthropogenic particles, Lake Ontario, urban runoff, stormwater, wastewater effluent, agricultural runoff, particle morphology, fibers, source apportionment, catchment characteristics, freshwater pollution, Great Lakes
- MeSH terms
- Microplastics, Environmental Monitoring, Ontario, Plastics, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Ecosystem, Lakes
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