Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2021
Publication Title
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Volume
19
Issue
3
Pages
176-183
Publisher Name
Wiley
Abstract
Research on plastics in global ecosystems is rapidly evolving. Oceans have been the primary focus of studies to date, whereas rivers are generally considered little more than conduits of plastics to marine ecosystems. Within a watershed, however, plastics of all sizes are retained, transformed, and even extracted via freshwater use or litter cleanup. As such, plastic litter in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems is an important but underappreciated component of global plastic pollution. To gain a holistic perspective, we developed a conceptual model that synthesizes all sources, fluxes, and fates for plastics in a watershed, including containment (ie disposed in landfill), non-containment (ie persists as environmental pollution), mineralization, export to oceans, atmospheric interactions, and freshwater extraction. We used this model of the “plastic cycle” to illustrate which components have received the most scientific attention and to reveal overlooked pathways. Our main objective is for this framework to inform future research, offer a new perspective to adapt management across diverse waste governance scenarios, and improve global models of plastic litter.
Identifier
85099606131 (Scopus)
Recommended Citation
Hoellein, Timothy J. and Rochman, Chelsea M.. The “plastic cycle”: a watershed 20 scale model of plastic pools and fluxes. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 19, 3: 176-183, 2021. Retrieved from Loyola eCommons, Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fee.2294
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
