Project description
Predicting microplastic fate in rivers
Microplastics are widespread in freshwater ecosystems, such as rivers, where they host pathogenic bacteria and act as vectors of disease transmission. To address the problem, hydrodynamic models are applied. These deliver a powerful tool to detect high-risk microplastics and pathogen areas in rivers and can forecast the response to dynamic flow conditions. The EU-funded MICROPATH project will develop a pioneering hydrodynamic model that foresees the persistence of microplastics and pathogens. The project will perform field studies in the River Tame. Its aims are to accurately predict microplastic fate and persistence in lowland streams by measuring their spatial heterogeneity and pathogenic bacteria accumulation.
Objective
Microplastics (MPs), defined as between 1μm to 5 mm in diameter, are abundant within freshwater ecosystems and deposit and accumulate within stream transient storage areas, such as streambed sediments. Pathogenic bacteria use microplastics as a substrate, and therefore MPs can be used as a vector of disease transmission in streams. MPs can both impair the ecological quality of aquatic systems and pose a public health risk. Monitoring programs are often combined with mathematical models to assess risk for a wide range of flow conditions. A hydrodynamic model provides a powerful tool to identify high risk zones of MPs and pathogens in streams, such as hot spots of accumulation within sediments, and to predict the response to dynamic flow conditions. The overall goal of this proposal is to pioneer the development and field validation of a microplastic fate and transport model for predicting the persistence of microplastics and pathogens in streams worldwide, particularly lowland streams prevalent in the UK and Europe. The field study site is the Tame river, a headwater stream in Birmingham greatly impacted by urban influence. The project will assess three main objectives: 1) to accurately predict the fate and persistence of MPs in lowland streams by applying a hydrodynamic model that appropriately characterise their transport and varied residence time based on size, 2) to measure the spatial heterogeneity of MPs and pathogenic bacteria accumulation (separated by size fractions) in streambed sediments and important hydraulic drivers, and 3) improve predictions and fate of both MPs and pathogens by incorporating size-dependent immobilization and remobilization rates into the hydrodynamic model. The proposed project will advance a critical step for ongoing MP research by providing an advanced hydrodynamic model as a tool to improve predictions of MP and pathogen persistence in streams, and a synthesis study to advance knowledge on the fate of MPs in urban streams.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems freshwater ecosystems
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
- natural sciences mathematics applied mathematics mathematical model
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
B15 2TT Birmingham
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.