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Updated: May 5, 2026

Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis
Published on: December 16, 2016
Topic modeling discovers trending topics in global research on the ecosystem impacts of microplastics
Kailin Gong1, Shuangqing Hu2, Wei Zhang1
1School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
Abstract:
The ecological threats of microplastics (MPs) have sparked research worldwide. However, changes in the topics of MP research over time and space have not been evaluated quantitatively, making it difficult to identify the next frontiers. Here, we apply topic modeling to assess global spatiotemporal dynamics of MP research. We identified nine leading topics in current MP research. Over time, MP research topics have switched from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems, from distribution to fate, from ingestion to toxicology, and from physiological toxicity to cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. In most of the nine leading topics, a disproportionate amount of independent and collaborative research activity was conducted in and between a few developed countries which is detrimental to understanding the environmental fates of MPs in a global context. This review recognizes the urgent need for more attention to emerging topics in MP research, particularly in regions that are heavily impacted but currently overlooked.
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