Leaderboards/Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

Last updated July 15, 2026

Rising Stars

Fresh ink, massive impact

Researchers

1
Ewa Winiarska
Wroclaw Medical University
2
Imogen E. Napper
University of Plymouth
3
Bo-Yu Peng
State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse
4
Xinran Qiu
Ministry of Agriculture
5
Naixin Qian
Columbia University
6
Haipeng Huang
Changchun University of Chinese Medicine
7
Paul Stegmann
Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
8
Monika Dokl
University of Maribor
9
Onur Dogu
NXP (Netherlands)
10
Evode Niyitanga
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology

Papers

1
Rapid single-particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|2024
403 cit.
2
The potential impact of nano- and microplastics on human health: Understanding human health risks.
Environmental Research|2024
395 cit.
3
Publication in Sustainable Production and Consumption (2024) [307 citations, W4403258450]
Sustainable Production and Consumption|2024
307 cit.
4
Publication in Science Advances (2025) [115 citations, W4406728116]
Science Advances|2025
115 cit.
5
Microbial metabolism influences microplastic perturbation of dissolved organic matter in agricultural soils
The ISME Journal|2024
113 cit.
6
Generation and Fate of Nanoplastics in the Intestine of Plastic-Degrading Insect (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> Larvae) during Polystyrene Microplastic Biodegradation
Environmental Science & Technology|2024
51 cit.
7
Declines in anthropogenic mercury emissions in the Global North and China offset by the Global South
Nature Communications|2025
35 cit.
8
Significant contribution of different sources of particulate organic matter to the photoaging of microplastics
Water Research|2024
29 cit.
9
Nanoplastics Penetrate Human Bronchial Smooth Muscle and Small Airway Epithelial Cells and Affect Mitochondrial Metabolism
International Journal of Molecular Sciences|2024
23 cit.
10
Publication in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (2024) [20 citations, W4403632481]
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety|2024
20 cit.

Emerging Leaders

Drafting the new consensus

Researchers

1
Jie Wang
China Agricultural University
2
Sarah E. Dudas
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
3
Thorsten Hüffer
University of Vienna
4
Ika Paul-Pont
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
5
Denise M. Mitrano
ETH Zurich
6
Yaxin Zhang
University of Science and Technology of China
7
Laurent Lebreton
The Ocean Cleanup
8
Arnold G. Tesoro
Los Angeles Unified School District
9
Liu Jin
Los Angeles Unified School District
10
Licheng Peng
Hainan University

Papers

1
Deciphering the Fingerprint of Dissolved Organic Matter in the Soil Amended with Biodegradable and Conventional Microplastics Based on Optical and Molecular Signatures
Environmental Science & Technology|2022
230 cit.
2
Biodegradable microplastics enhance soil microbial network complexity and ecological stochasticity
Journal of Hazardous Materials|2022
211 cit.
3
Potential impacts of atmospheric microplastics and nanoplastics on cloud formation processes
Nature Geoscience|2022
170 cit.
4
Long-range atmospheric transport of microplastics across the southern hemisphere
Nature Communications|2023
156 cit.
5
Biodegradable and conventional microplastics posed similar toxicity to marine algae Chlorella vulgaris
Aquatic Toxicology|2022
153 cit.
6
Effects of Microplastics on Soil Carbon Mineralization: The Crucial Role of Oxygen Dynamics and Electron Transfer
Environmental Science & Technology|2023
142 cit.
7
Current advances in interactions between microplastics and dissolved organic matters in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry|2022
129 cit.
8
Microplastics reduce soil microbial network complexity and ecological deterministic selection
Environmental Microbiology|2022
117 cit.
9
Industrialised fishing nations largely contribute to floating plastic pollution in the North Pacific subtropical gyre
Scientific Reports|2022
117 cit.
10
Advanced oxidation processes for the elimination of microplastics from aqueous systems: Assessment of efficiency, perspectives and limitations
The Science of The Total Environment|2022
111 cit.

Current Senior Leaders

Wrote the book, still writing it

Researchers

1
Richard C. Thompson
University of Alberta
2
Kara Lavender Law
Sea Education Association
3
Albert A. Koelmans
Wageningen University & Research
4
Huahong Shi
Shanghai Estuarine & Coastal Science Research Center
5
Kurunthachalam Kannan
New York State Department of Health
6
Jun Wang
Fuzhou University
7
Gunnar Gerdts
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
8
Violette Geissen
Wageningen University & Research
9
Tamara S. Galloway
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
10
Matthias C. Rillig
Berlin Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research

Papers

1
Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
Science Advances|2017
17.6k cit.
2
Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean
Science|2015
12.7k cit.
3
Lost at Sea: Where Is All the Plastic?
Science|2004
7.5k cit.
4
Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Woldwide: Sources and Sinks
Environmental Science & Technology|2011
4.6k cit.
5
Global Distribution of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate in Wildlife
Environmental Science & Technology|2001
2.7k cit.
6
Microplastic Ingestion by Zooplankton
Environmental Science & Technology|2013
2.7k cit.
7
Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems
Global Change Biology|2017
2.3k cit.
8
Ingested Microscopic Plastic Translocates to the Circulatory System of the Mussel, <i>Mytilus edulis</i> (L.)
Environmental Science & Technology|2008
2.2k cit.
9
Microplastics Can Change Soil Properties and Affect Plant Performance
Environmental Science & Technology|2019
2k cit.
10
Occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of pelagic and demersal fish from the English Channel
Marine Pollution Bulletin|2012
2k cit.

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