Suspended material in water refers to particulate matter that remains dispersed within the water column rather than settling rapidly to the bottom, typically due to small particle size, low density, or water turbulence. It encompasses inorganic particles (e.g., silt, clay, mineral fragments) and organic particles (e.g., detritus, plankton, microbial aggregates), often quantified as total suspended solids (TSS). Suspended material influences light attenuation, heat distribution, and biogeochemical cycling, serving as vectors for nutrients, contaminants, and microorganisms. In aquatic research, characterization of suspended material includes particle size distribution, composition, concentration, and settling dynamics, all of which affect sediment transport, water quality, and ecosystem functioning.
The byproducts of modern society appear to be messing with the love life of two tiny fish species that have long coexisted in Mexican rivers.
Plants & Animals
Jul 1, 2026
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54
The presence of small plastic pellets on the beaches of Donostia and Orio has drawn attention to a little-studied source of pollution: leakage of industrial microplastics that reach the sea through stormwater drainage networks. ...
Environment
Mar 13, 2026
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12
Hundreds, and possibly thousands, of juvenile Chinook salmon were found dead in the lower Yuba River after a large water pipe burst at the New Colgate Powerhouse on Friday, according to a local conservation group.
Environment
Feb 18, 2026
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19
Plastic pollution has become a major global environmental concern as modern societies rely increasingly on plastic products. Much of this plastic waste eventually reaches the ocean, with rivers acting as the main transport ...
Environment
Feb 10, 2026
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16
For many years, the deep ocean has been seen as a nutrient-poor environment where microbes living in the water survive on very limited resources. But new research from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) challenges that ...
Ecology
Feb 9, 2026
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21
What do microplastics, water color, and satellites have in common? Dr. Karl Kaiser, professor of marine and coastal environmental science in the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies at Texas A&M University at Galveston ...
Environment
Feb 4, 2026
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27
Researchers led by Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1357 Microplastics at the University of Bayreuth have overturned a common scientific assumption in a new study: Microplastic particles do not all exhibit similar transport ...
Environment
Feb 3, 2026
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17
A build-up of ultra-fine sediment in riverbeds is creating oxygen-starved conditions that threaten fish spawning grounds and freshwater invertebrates, new research on the River Taw in Devon has revealed. The study is published ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 21, 2025
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