University of Basel

Department of
Environmental Sciences

Program Man-Society-Environment

Microplastics in the Rhine catchment area

The Rhine and its tributaries are among the largest and most intensively used watercourses in Europe. Since 2015, the Rhine catchment has been investigated by MGU for microplastic pollution. On the one hand, the focus is on the pollution of the surface water, the water column and the sediment, as well as the bank, and on the other hand, the pollution of the animals living in and along the Rhine and its tributaries (fish, amphipods).

This is a collaborative project between several research institutes:
Prof. Dr. Linda Amaral-Zettler, NIOZ Institute for Marine Research, Netherlands, Dr. Colin Courtney-Mustaphi and  Pierre Lapellegerie, Geoecology, University of Basel, Pierre Lapellegerie

At the moment our team consists of:

Prof. Dr. Patricia Burkhardt-HolmClara LeistenschneiderNicole Seiler
Sebastian RiederPriscilla Carrillo BarragánDr. Serena Abel
Gabriel Erni Cassola  
Gabriel Rhein

Dr. Gabriel Erni Cassola

Microplastics in the water column of the Rhine river

a year-long monitoring study

Gabriel Labor

Dr. Gabriel Erni Cassola

Investigating the potential long-term toxicity of common microplastic polymer types using Gammarus fossarum in a more realistic set-up

Even though rivers have been recognized as significant carriers of plastics, freshwater systems have so far received significantly less attention than marine systems.

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