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The study addresses the growing concern of microplastic pollution in environmental matrices, emphasizing the significance of monitoring for understanding their distribution, sources, and mitigation. Laboratory-based spectral reflectance analysis of water samples containing visible microplastics revealed distinctive spectral signatures. Coastal water samples collected over two campaigns were subjected to pre-treatment in order to extract microplastics and microscopic inspection followed by spectroscopic confirmation. Results indicated average microplastics concentrations of 0.633 and 0.324mg/L, along with 7.85 and 5.30 items/L in the datasets. Leveraging these findings, along with Sentinel-2 (Level-1C) data and spectral signatures, an empirical spectral microplastics model was developed to convert Sentinel-2's reflectance into microplastics concentrations. This model displayed an 87.30% R2 and ±0.015mg/L RMSE. Subsequently, the model was employed to estimate microplastics concentrations in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, showcasing its potential for monitoring microplastics pollution in the study area and similar regions.

Over 30 million people rely on Lake Victoria for survival in Northeast African countries, including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibout. The lake faces significant challenges due to changes in land use and climate. This study used multi-source remote sensing data in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to create Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), land surface temperature (LST), and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) layers in the period 2000–2023 to understand the impact of LULC and climate change on Lake Victoria Basin. The land use/land cover trends before 2020 indicated an increase in the urban areas from 0.13% in 2000 to 0.16% in 2020. Croplands increased from 6.51% in 2000 to 7.88% in 2020. The water surface area averaged 61,559 square km, which has increased since 2000 with an average rate of 1.3%. The “Permanent Wetland” size change from 2000 to 2020 varied from 1.70% to 1.83%. Cropland/Natural Vegetation Mosaics rose from 12.77% to 15.01%, through 2000 to 2020. However, more than 29,000 residents were displaced in mid-2020 as the water increased by 1.21 m from the fall of 2019 to the middle of 2020. Furthermore, land-surface temperature averaged 23.98 degrees in 2000 and 23.49 in 2024.

Microplastics (MPs) are a growing threat to aquatic ecosystems, yet research and regulations often treat all plastics as one homogenous group. This overlooks critical distinctions, leading to regulatory gaps and inconsistent research that hinders risk assessment and environmental modeling. This review proposes a prioritized list of plastic and MP types based on available data. Factors like usage, waste generation, existing regulations, toxicity (including additives and monomers), ease of identification, and degradation mechanisms are considered. We identified polyester, polyamide, acrylic fibers (PES/PA/PAN), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polystyrene (PS) as top priorities. The extensive use and short lifespans of single-use PP, PE, and PET products lead to significant waste generation. Except for PE, all prioritized polymers have potentially toxic additives or monomers. PET and PVC pose isolation and identification challenges, while PVC, PET, and PA readily fragment into MPs. Among MP forms, fibers are a top concern due to high production volumes, potential for containing toxic additives, and difficulty in identification. Spherical MPs, primarily originating from direct production, warrant focus for regulatory efforts. Based on the analysis of the available data, we propose recommendations to develop stronger and more relevant regulations and key research opportunity areas to advance our understanding of MPs in the environment. By prioritizing specific plastic types and MP forms, we can achieve greater efficiency in addressing the growing problem of plastic pollution.