Spatiotemporal Patterns of Microplastic Distribution in Surface Water and Nearshore Sediments of a Large Tropical Lake: Evidence From Lake Toba, Indonesia.
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Aquatic Resources Management Faculty of Agriculture Universitas Sumatera Utara Medan 20155 North Sumatra Indonesia usu.ac.id.
- 2Research Centre for Limnology and Water Resources National Research and Innovation Agency Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km. 46. Cibinong Bogor 16911 West Java Indonesia brin.go.id.
- 3Biota Systems Research Center National Research and Innovation Agency Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km. 46. Cibinong Bogor 16911 West Java Indonesia brin.go.id.
- 4Research Centre for Oceanography National Research and Innovation Agency Jakarta Indonesia brin.go.id.
- 5Department of Environment Faculty of Forestry and Environment Universiti Putra Malaysia Seri Kembangan Malaysia upm.edu.my.
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution is increasingly documented in freshwater ecosystems, yet lake-scale evidence from large tropical lakes remains limited. We assessed MPs in surface water and nearshore sediments at 21 stations across Lake Toba, Indonesia, during the dry and rainy seasons. Mean MP abundance was higher in the rainy season than in the dry season in both surface water (1.461 ± 0.836 vs. 0.288 ± 0.110 particles m⁻³) and sediment (3.14 ± 0.59 vs. 1.26 ± 0.31 particles g⁻¹ dry weight). Fragments and particles measuring 1000-2000 μm were dominant, while black and blue particles jointly represented 67%-68% of the observed MPs. Surface-water abundance was highest in the northern sector, whereas nearshore sediment abundance was higher in the southern sector. These contrasting patterns are consistent with spatial redistribution and retention within the lake, although transport pathways and sediment-focusing processes were not measured directly. Aquaculture, fishing, tourism, and domestic activities are therefore discussed as potential rather than confirmed sources. This study provides the first seasonally resolved, lake-wide baseline integrating surface water and nearshore sediments in Lake Toba and identifies priorities for source-specific monitoring and hydrodynamic investigation.
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BibTeX
@article{muhtadi2026spatiotemporal,
title = {{Spatiotemporal Patterns of Microplastic Distribution in Surface Water and Nearshore Sediments of a Large Tropical Lake: Evidence From Lake Toba, Indonesia.}},
author = {Ahmad Muhtadi and Rusdi Leidonald and Aldiano Rahmadya and Prawira Atmaja Tampubolon and Nur Rohim and Muhammad Reza Cordova and Mohd Yusoff Ishak},
journal = {Scientifica},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1155/sci5/3525274},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959381},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Spatiotemporal Patterns of Microplastic Distribution in Surface Water and Nearshore Sediments of a Large Tropical Lake: Evidence From Lake Toba, Indonesia.
AU - Ahmad Muhtadi
AU - Rusdi Leidonald
AU - Aldiano Rahmadya
AU - Prawira Atmaja Tampubolon
AU - Nur Rohim
AU - Muhammad Reza Cordova
AU - Mohd Yusoff Ishak
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Scientifica
DO - 10.1155/sci5/3525274
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42959381
AB - Microplastic (MP) pollution is increasingly documented in freshwater ecosystems, yet lake-scale evidence from large tropical lakes remains limited. We assessed MPs in surface water and nearshore sediments at 21 stations across Lake Toba, Indonesia, during the dry and rainy seasons. Mean MP abundance was higher in the rainy season than in the dry season in both surface water (1.461 ± 0.836 vs. 0.288 ± 0.110 particles m⁻³) and sediment (3.14 ± 0.59 vs. 1.26 ± 0.31 particles g⁻¹ dry weight). Fragments and particles measuring 1000-2000 μm were dominant, while black and blue particles jointly represented 67%-68% of the observed MPs. Surface-water abundance was highest in the northern sector, whereas nearshore sediment abundance was higher in the southern sector. These contrasting patterns are consistent with spatial redistribution and retention within the lake, although transport pathways and sediment-focusing processes were not measured directly. Aquaculture, fishing, tourism, and domestic activities are therefore discussed as potential rather than confirmed sources. This study provides the first seasonally resolved, lake-wide baseline integrating surface water and nearshore sediments in Lake Toba and identifies priorities for source-specific monitoring and hydrodynamic investigation.
SN - 2090-908X
ER -