Pollution from microplastics and anthropogenic fibres threatens lakes, but we know little about what factors predict its accumulation. Lakes may be especially contaminated because of long water retention times and proximity to pollution sources. Here, we surveyed anthropogenic microparticles, i.e., microplastics and anthropogenic fibres, in surface waters of 67 European lakes spanning 30° of latitude and large environmental gradients. By collating data from >2,100 published net tows, we found that microparticle concentrations in our field survey were higher than previously reported in lakes and comparable to rivers and oceans. We then related microparticle concentrations in our field survey to surrounding land use, water chemistry, and plastic emissions to sites estimated from local hydrology, population density, and waste production. Microparticle concentrations in European lakes quadrupled as both estimated mismanaged waste inputs and wastewater treatment loads increased in catchments. Concentrations decreased by 2 and 5 times over the range of surrounding forest cover and potential in-lake biodegradation, respectively. As anthropogenic debris continues to pollute the environment, our data will help contextualise future work, and our models can inform control and remediation efforts.

中文翻译：

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湖泊中的微塑料和人为纤维浓度反映了周围的土地利用情况。

微塑料和人为纤维造成的污染威胁着湖泊，但我们对预测其积累的因素知之甚少。由于蓄水时间长且靠近污染源，湖泊可能尤其受到污染。在这里，我们调查了跨越 30° 纬度和大环境梯度的 67 个欧洲湖泊的地表水中的人为微粒，即微塑料和人为纤维。通过整理已发表的 2,100 条以上的网拖数据，我们发现现场调查中的微粒浓度高于先前报告的湖泊中的微粒浓度，可与河流和海洋相媲美。然后，我们将实地调查中的微粒浓度与周围土地利用、水化学和塑料排放与根据当地水文、人口密度和废物产生估计的地点联系起来。由于估计管理不善的废物输入和集水区的废水处理负荷增加，欧洲湖泊中的微粒浓度增加了四倍。在周围森林覆盖范围和潜在的湖内生物降解范围内，浓度分别下降了 2 倍和 5 倍。随着人为碎片继续污染环境，我们的数据将有助于确定未来工作的背景，我们的模型可以为控制和修复工作提供信息。