Appropriated racial oppression shapes Black parents’ socialization of children

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

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In a recent study of Black parents and their teens, Shardé McNeil Smith, a professor of human development and family studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, explored how parents’ levels of appropriated racism affected racial-ethnic socialization messages that affirmed youths’ racial pride, resilience and self-worth.

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Credit: Photo by the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Black parents who experienced higher levels of appropriated racial oppression — defined as shaping one’s behavior and self-concept around dominant cultural norms of whiteness — were less likely to transmit positive, culturally protective messages that affirmed racial pride and self-worth to their adolescent children, a recent study found.

However, these effects were moderated by skin tone, becoming more pronounced among lighter-skinned parents and teens, said first author Shardé McNeil Smith, a professor of human development and family studies and of African American studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Funded by the National Science Foundation and published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, the study was co-written by then-research coordinator Jaden Anderson and Shawn C.T. Jones, a professor and the director of the counseling psychology program, both of Virginia Commonwealth University; and U. of I. graduate students Anisa Codamon and Chelsea S. Alexander.

The findings raise troubling questions about the generational effects of racial oppression and how it may hamper parents’ ability to instill resilience, cultural pride and other protective qualities that prepare youths for navigating a racialized society, Smith said.

“We know that Black parents engage in parenting practices that help their children if and when they encounter racial discrimination, but we find that parents’ own racialized worldview can impact their ability to transmit positive messages that are empirically found to promote well-being,” Smith said. “Interestingly, our research found that this is particularly apparent for parents and youth with lighter skin tones.”

The study included 201 pairs of Black parents — 75% of whom were the mothers — and their adolescent children who were part of the Ethnic and Racial Dynamics in Black Families project. About 15% of the adults were the children’s fathers and the remainder were other relatives who were the children’s primary caregivers such as grandparents or aunts. The adults’ average age was about 43 while the adolescents’ average age was about 15. The majority of the adults were college-educated, having earned two-year or four-year college degrees or master’s, doctoral or professional degrees, according to the study.

The adults’ levels of appropriated racial oppression were assessed with a 24-item scale that examined their emotional responses to being a member of their race, negative perceptions of their racial group and beauty standards such as their perceptions of attractiveness or superiority associated with skin tones. In addition, the scale measured the adults’ patterns of thinking about the consequences and implications of discrimination, their childhood history with racial/ethnic socialization experiences and their racism-related levels of stress.

Likewise, the adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ or caregivers’ racial or ethnic socialization messages and behaviors during the prior year were assessed. These included the adults’ emphasizing racial pride and unity; instilling self-worth and positive feelings toward other Black people; discussing racial inequalities and coping strategies; promoting interracial understanding and coexistence among Black and white people; and the adults’ activities or behaviors related to Black culture, such as buying the teen Black toys or games. In addition, the teens were asked about their parents’ or caregivers’ negative messaging, such as disparaging Black people.

Participants’ perceptions of their own and others’ skin tones were assessed using the New Immigrant Survey Skin Color Scale, an instrument used by researchers to explore the effects of racial prejudice based on skin tone. The adults and teens compared their skin tones to those of people in photographs and rated themselves on a 1 to 10 scale, ranging from the lightest to the darkest possible skin, according to the study.

The team found that parents with higher levels of appropriated racial oppression were less likely to cultivate self-worth and racial pride in their children or convey messages about racial equality and inequalities, according to the teens’ responses on the surveys. These adults also were more likely to focus on negative messages, the teens reported.

“The adults’ and their teens’ skin tones — but not gender — also played a role, in that parents who reported greater appropriated racial oppression were less likely to discuss racial barriers with their children who had light or medium skin tones,” Smith said. “Parental skin tone was a significant moderator too, in that adults with light or medium skin tones were less likely to discuss egalitarian topics such as fairness and equality or to promote self-worth in their children. However, we found that this relationship became nonsignificant among parents with darker skin.”

Smith said the findings suggest that appropriated racial oppression may reflect a form of internalized disempowerment that undermines parents’ ability to affirm their child’s racial identity and engage in culturally affirming socialization practices that are protective, promote resilience and prepare young people for navigating societal oppression.

Parents who have internalized anti-Blackness may also internalize mainstream attitudes about discussing racial topics within their families by avoiding these issues altogether, the team hypothesized.

“These disruptions in racial-ethnic socialization may have long-term effects on youths’ racial identity development and psychological well-being, particularly in contexts where racial pride, resilience and preparation for bias become critical for coping with discrimination,” Smith said. “The moderating role of lighter skin tones on racial socialization practices also underscores the importance of considering intragroup diversity within Black families. Having lighter skin — which is often associated with proximity to whiteness — may influence parents’ perceptions of racial threats and the necessity of preparing their children for racialized experiences.”

The findings challenge those of prior studies that indicated that parents who internalized racial oppression would be more likely to engage in compensatory behaviors such as downplaying race or emphasizing equality, the team wrote. Instead, the team hypothesized that these individuals may be more likely to reject ideas about racial equality in order to better fit into a racially stratified society that rewards those who conform to white ideologies, behaviors and standards of beauty.

“By illuminating the psychological and sociocultural mechanisms that influence racial-ethnic socialization, our study highlights the importance of addressing internalized oppression in efforts to support Black families,” Smith said. “Interventions that help parents process and resist appropriated racial oppression may be key to fostering resilience and racial pride in the next generation. At the same time, it is imperative that efforts extend beyond individual parents and families to address the structural and institutional conditions that perpetuate the racial oppression that parents may ultimately internalize.”

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Journal

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

DOI

10.1177/02654075261457736 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Linking parents’ appropriated racial oppression to their racial-ethnic socialization practices: An intergenerational examination among Black parent-child dyads

 

Update the textbooks: UCLA-led research revises theory of how crystals form

3D atomic imaging in advanced materials yields new insights into transitions such as liquid freezing into solid

California NanoSystems Institute

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Maps of five out of the 8,000-plus crystal nuclei in the study show regions with a high level of order in red, with a medium level in purple and with a low level in light blue. (Image courtesy: Miao Lab/UCLA)

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Credit: Miao Lab

The most common scientific approach for thinking about how condensation, freezing and other phase transitions begin is based in classical nucleation theory, which was developed about a century ago. Thousands of experiments have supported a key equation describing how initial ordered seeds, called nuclei, form within disordered matter.

Now, new UCLA-led research proposes a revision to classical nucleation theory.

The study, published in Nature Materials, used tiny spheres, or nanoparticles, made of complex materials with varying degrees of atomic order. The investigators devised a method for trapping crystal nuclei at various stages of development during a phase transition.

When the team examined the nanoparticles using an imaging method that maps individual atoms in 3D, what they saw differed from current explanations of the nucleation process.

“The crystals were not uniform with a sharp boundary from the disordered atoms around them, as predicted by classical nucleation theory,” said corresponding author Jianwei “John” Miao, a professor of physics and astronomy in the UCLA College and member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. “Instead, we saw a gradient. Every nucleus had a core of highest crystallinity and then became more disordered as you go from that core to the boundary.”

The researchers introduced a more complex equation, which they call the gradient nucleation pathways model. It generalizes classical nucleation theory in line with the results of their rigorous experiments.

“It seems that the classical theory is actually a special case,” Miao said. “If you substitute that case into our equation, then you get exactly the same results as classical nucleation theory. But experimentally, we never observed a sharp boundary. Instead, we observed this gradient at the atomic scale.”

The findings represent a new understanding of a fundamental process of nature. And because nucleation is seen in so many different systems — from droplets forming in clouds to industrial manufacturing — the study could inform further discoveries and new technologies with broad societal impact.

Pausing crystal formation in search of new insights

The nanoparticles were made up of high- and medium-entropy alloys, combinations of metallic elements in roughly equal proportions. In contrast, more familiar alloys such as steel are dominated by one principal element.

The researchers heated the nanoparticles then supercooled them, going from over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit to room temperature within a few hundredths of a second. This process caused crystal nuclei to form but suspended them at various points in development.

“The data acquisition process takes much longer than nucleation does,” Miao said. “Trapping the crystals as they form allowed us to study nucleation at different stages.”

Using a 3D imaging technique called atomic electron tomography, the team mapped the structure of each nanoparticle atom by atom. They conducted advanced statistical analyses to quantify how ordered or disordered various sections of the nanoparticles were. In all, the study examined a robust dataset of more than 8,000 nuclei, ranging in size from under 10 atoms to more than 1,000.

A new vista on the basics of phase transitions

In addition to the gradient from more order in the nuclei’s cores to less at their surfaces, the results showed that as nuclei got larger, their cores grew more orderly in structure.

The findings provide a new view on the amount of energy needed for nuclei to form. In classical nucleation theory, the minimum amount required — known as the energy barrier — is as sharply drawn as the theory’s conception of uniform nuclei. The complexity detailed in the researchers’ extensive experimental data led to more of a sliding scale involving multiple steps.

“The energy barrier is like a wall that must be climbed, and in classical nucleation theory, only a small fraction of nuclei with enough energy can get over that wall,” Miao said. “However, our results show that nature adopts a more effective strategy, like using a ladder to climb over the wall through multiple intermediate states. Our gradient nucleation pathways model captures this process and explains how nuclei can overcome the energy barrier more efficiently.”

For a full-on phase transition to occur, nuclei need to merge. The researchers observed something curious about that process: Even when separated by a small distance, the majority of crystals grew in the exact same orientation, making it easier for them to merge.

“I found it amazing that many nuclei were already nearly aligned before they merged,” Miao said. “This likely reflects a lower-energy pathway, but it also shows there’s always more to learn about how nature organizes matter.”

Potential impact on science, engineering and society

High- and medium-entropy alloys, such as the ones used in the study, were first introduced about 20 years ago. Their disordered structure provides special properties, such that these alloys could make up materials that are uniquely strong and flexible, as well as more-efficient and durable catalysts to drive chemical reactions.

“These are important materials, and understanding nucleation can help us find better ways to design them,” Miao said. “At the same time, our model can be broadly applied to all nucleation systems.”

The ubiquity of nucleation means that this research could foster innovation in scientific areas from physical science to climate modeling, and in industries from food and drugs to semiconductors and electronics. The new technique for studying nucleation with advanced imaging also may lead to further advances in understanding the process.

For Miao, there’s great satisfaction in simply increasing the store of human knowledge.

“We believe this work will change how researchers think about nucleation,” he said. “I hope textbooks will eventually be revised to reflect this new understanding.”

Study authors and funding

The study’s authors are former UCLA postdoctoral researchers and former UCLA graduate and undergraduate students Yakun Yuan, Saman Moniri, Yao Yang, Jihan Zhou, Andrew Yuan, Dennis Kim and Yongsoo Yang; Chenyang Li and Wei Chen of the University at Buffalo; Kun Luo and Qi An of Iowa State University; and Peter Ercius of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The research was primarily supported by the Basic Energy Sciences program’s Materials Sciences and Engineering Division within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

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Journal

Nature Materials

Article Title

Crystal nucleation and growth in high-entropy alloys revealed by atomic electron tomography

Article Publication Date

25-Aug-2026

 

Benefits of bird song reduced due to traffic noise

University of Surrey

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Traffic noise disrupts recognised benefits of bird song and other sounds from nature, a new study from the University of Surrey reports.  

During this study, Surrey researchers investigated the acoustic characteristics of natural soundscapes containing birds on psychological wellbeing and whether these wellbeing benefits would be impacted by traffic noise.  

Natural soundscapes, such as bird song, have psychological benefits, including stress reduction and positive mood changes, whilst traffic noise has been shown to increase stress and annoyance. Researchers suggest reducing speed limits near parks to potentially lessen noise caused by traffic.  

Dr Melissa Marselle, a Lecturer in Environmental Psychology at the University of Surrey, said: 

“Being in nature and listening to its sounds is a natural way of improving wellbeing. People report feeling refreshed and having a renewed feeling of calmness after exposure to natural environments. With such profound benefits, it is important that we learn more about what it is about such sounds that prompts such feelings in a person. The number or types of birds singing could be important; so too could the acoustic characteristics, like how loud or complex or varied the soundscape is.  

“However, the modern industrial world is noisy, so we need to investigate the impact of traffic noise on nature’s sounds and if it counteracts their benefits. Our research could help identify tranquil outdoor spaces to help those who are feeling overwhelmed.” 

To learn more, researchers conducted two complementary studies. Over 1,500 participants took part in the first study, where they listened to nine simulated soundscapes of natural sounds and traffic noise that varied in both acoustic complexity and amplitude. Participants were then asked a series of questions about how relaxed and restorative they felt after listening to the sounds they had just heard. In the second study, 63 participants were invited into a laboratory environment and listened to the same nine soundscapes as those in the first study, whilst wearing a heart rate monitor. 

Researchers found that listening to natural soundscapes containing birdsong had a psychological benefit to wellbeing, irrespective of its acoustic characteristics. However, traffic noise within natural soundscapes, even at levels below World Health Organisation guidelines for daytime vehicle traffic noise, negatively impacted the psychological benefits of nature’s sounds. Heart rate variability was also significantly lower for participants when listening to natural soundscapes with traffic noise, indicating a greater physiological stress response to such sounds.  

Interestingly, the negative effect of high traffic noise was more pronounced when the acoustic characteristics of soundscapes were also at high levels. Researchers suggest that this may be a result of overstimulation, with too much overall sound energy within the soundscape negatively impacting feelings of restorativeness. 

Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe, Associate Professor in Environmental Psychology at the University of Surrey, said: 

“Traffic noise undoubtedly impacts the psychological benefit of natural soundscapes. With urban planning now including more green spaces it is important that steps are taken so that people enjoy such areas to their fullest. Minimising traffic noise through the reduction of speed limits in streets close to parks or increasing greater density of ground level vegetation around park boundaries, could be ways to do this. It is important that people get to spend time in nature and are able to appreciate its benefits without being distracted by noise.” 

In addition to these findings, researchers also found that despite there being only three species of birds and five individual bird sounds in all soundscapes, participants reported greater feelings of wellbeing when they perceived greater species diversity (i.e. more types of birds). Researchers believe that perceptions of bird species richness are key for wellbeing benefits. 

Due to the large number of participants across the two studies, researchers were also able to identify how different demographics responded to natural soundscapes. It was found that younger participants reported higher feelings of wellbeing compared to their older peers. Researchers theorise that this could be because younger participants have better hearing and subsequently may have had a higher quality acoustic experience of the soundscapes. It was also found that participants reporting greater knowledge of birds reported higher well-being and increased perceptions of bird diversity.  

This study was published in the journal: People and Nature (Live will go live once embargo lifts) 

Notes to editors 

• Paper title: 'The influence of acoustic characteristics and anthropogenic noise on restorative perceptions of natural soundscapes' DOI: 10.1002/pan3.70405. 

 

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Journal

People and Nature

DOI

10.1002/pan3.70405 

Article Title

'The influence of acoustic characteristics and anthropogenic noise on restorative perceptions of natural soundscapes

Article Publication Date

26-Aug-2026

 

Buried underwear shows land use is key to soil health

University of Zurich

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After being buried in the ground for two months and broken down by soil organisms, a new pair of cotton underwear (left) shows clear signs of decomposition (right).

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Credit: Nicolas Zonvi

Soil is the foundation of our food supply. It stores water, carbon and nutrients and is home to a large share of the world’s biodiversity. More than half of global biodiversity is estimated to live below ground. Yet biodiversity, and with it soil health, is declining worldwide, with consequences for agriculture, food security and the functioning of entire ecosystems.

In 2021, researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) and Agroscope, the Swiss federal center of excellence for agricultural research, launched the citizen science project Proof by Underpants (Beweisstück Unterhose) to draw attention to this often overlooked ecosystem and also collect scientific data. Following a standardized procedure, 1,000 volunteers buried more than 2,000 pairs of cotton underwear and 12,000 tea bags at around 1,000 locations across Switzerland. Two months later, they dug them up, photographed them and sent them to the laboratory together with a soil sample for further analysis.

Decomposition rate as indicator of soil life

The results, a map of soil activity, have now been published in the journal Plants, People, Planet. The analysis shows that the underwear decomposed at very different rates depending on the location, with the decomposition rate providing a measure of biological activity: the more active the soil organisms, the faster they break down the cotton material.

The underwear decomposed most rapidly in private gardens, where the researchers found the highest levels of organic matter – ideal conditions for earthworms, fungi, bacteria and other soil-dwelling organisms. Soil organisms were least active in lawns, while agricultural fields and meadows fell somewhere in between.

Land use is the key factor

“Our results show that how soil is managed can significantly affect both soil life and soil quality,” says co-study leader Marcel van der Heijden, UZH professor of agroecology. “Healthy, biologically active soil is crucial for fertility, nutrient cycling and many other ecosystem services.” Measures that can promote soil life include keeping the soil permanently covered, adding compost, diversifying crop rotations and limiting the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides.

Land use proved to be the most important factor influencing how quickly the underwear decomposed. Whether a site was used as a garden, meadow, cultivated field or lawn explained the differences better than most of the soil properties measured. Chemical soil characteristics, such as nutrient levels, also played a significant role.

Some soils oversupplied with nutrients

The results also show that rapid decomposition of the underwear often indicates high soil fertility and a good supply of nutrients. This is particularly beneficial for agricultural production. “However, maximum decomposition is not desirable in every ecosystem,” says co-project leader Franz Bender, head of the agroecological assessments team at Agroscope.

“In near-natural habitats such as forests, very high nutrient levels can indicate disruptions to the natural balance of nutrients. In gardens, too, rapid decomposition of the underwear may point to an oversupply of nutrients,” says Bender. In these cases, it may be worth checking whether fertilizer use should be reduced. Soil life also depends strongly on temperature and soil moisture; if conditions are too cold or too dry, the soil is barely active.

Raising awareness of soil health

Burying cotton underwear can provide a simple yet meaningful way to reveal differences in biological activity and soil fertility. The researchers therefore propose an “underwear index” as an easy-to-understand way of illustrating soil processes and raising public awareness of the need to protect soils.

Citizen scientists enable large-scale research

The "Proof by Underpants" project demonstrates the potential of citizen science for research. Without the help of the many volunteers, a study of this scale across 1,000 sites would not have been possible. The data come from all regions of Switzerland and form one of the country’s most comprehensive datasets on soil life. The exceptionally high level of participation is also reflected in the authorship: around 240 citizen scientists are listed as co-authors of the publication. In return, the researchers provided them with individual feedback, including soil analysis results, evaluation tools and tips for sustainable soil management.

Literature

S.F. Bender, D. Bürge, L. Bragazza, E. Knop, S. Masson, N. Peter, R. Dmarmels, D. Müller, A. Imhof, P. Viviani, A. Bieri, T.D. Bucheli & M.G.A. van der Heijden. Soil Health Assessment Using Buried Cotton Underpants with the Help of 1000 Citizen Scientists. Plants, People, Planet. 25 August 2026. DOI: https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.70259

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Journal

Plants People Planet

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Soil Health Assessment Using Buried Cotton Underpants with the Help of 1000 Citizen Scientists.

Article Publication Date

26-Aug-2026

 

Slightly or heavily decomposed? The more active the soil organisms, the faster the cotton material decomposes. (Image: Priska Koller, Agroscope)

 

Even protected Florida wetlands can’t escape microplastic pollution

Florida Atlantic University

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The main open-water area of Spruce Bluff Preserve, a 97-acre freshwater wetland along the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie in Florida. 

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Credit: Erik Johanson, Florida Atlantic University

Microplastics are turning up almost everywhere – from oceans and rivers to soils and sediments – yet far less is known about what happens when they enter freshwater wetlands. Often overlooked in favor of marine and coastal environments, wetlands can act as both pathways and traps for microplastics, potentially capturing and retaining pollution.

That knowledge gap is particularly important in small, urban-adjacent wetlands throughout Florida, where stormwater runoff, recreational activity and connections to rivers and other waterways can introduce microplastics. Yet little is known about how these particles move and accumulate within these ecosystems.

To help fill these gaps, Florida Atlantic University researchers examined microplastics at Spruce Bluff Preserve, a 97-acre freshwater wetland along the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie. The study provides the first detailed look at how microplastics are distributed across the preserve and how vegetation, sediment composition and proximity to water influence where particles accumulate.

Researchers collected 40 surface sediment samples from eight transects spanning different ecological zones. Samples were collected every 5 meters in December 2024 during the dry season, and researchers recorded each site’s distance from water. They also used infrared spectroscopy to confirm a subset of particles, providing a more accurate estimate of microplastic abundance.

Results of the study, published in the journal Evolving Earth, reveal that microplastics were found throughout Spruce Bluff Preserve, and detected in 38 of 40 sediment samples (95%) across every ecological zone. Most of the confirmed particles were tiny – about 88% were smaller than 2.5 millimeters – and nearly half were fibers, suggesting that synthetic textiles and other everyday materials may be contributing to plastic pollution in the preserve.

But the particles were not distributed randomly. The highest concentrations were found along the St. Lucie River and an outlet canal used for flood control, suggesting that water movement is helping transport and concentrate microplastics within the wetland.

“Perhaps the most striking finding is that the microplastics weren’t simply scattered randomly across the preserve – they appeared to follow the pathways of water,” said Erik N. Johanson, Ph.D., senior author and an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences within FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. “The river edge and flood-control canal had some of the highest concentrations, suggesting that these areas can act as conduits and collection points for plastic moving through the landscape. It shows that even in a protected wetland, what happens upstream can ultimately show up in the sediment.”

The findings indicate that water-connected areas may act as pathways and collection points for microplastics entering the preserve through runoff and other waterborne sources, while interior areas farther from active water flow generally had lower concentrations.

“The way water moves through the landscape may be more important in determining where microplastics accumulate than simply how close a location is to water,” Johanson said.

The types of particles also offer clues about their origins. Fibers were the most common type, consistent with inputs from synthetic textiles and urban runoff, while the predominance of small particles suggests that plastics are breaking down and weathering over time. The mix of particle types and colors points to multiple, diffuse sources rather than a single source of contamination.

The findings underscore that protecting a wetland from development does not necessarily protect it from pollution. Spruce Bluff Preserve reflects a broader Florida landscape in which natural wetlands are interconnected with rivers, stormwater systems, flood-control canals and other engineered waterways.

These systems can act as both filters and conduits, trapping microplastics in sediments while also transporting them downstream.

The researchers say the findings point to the need to consider plastic pollution alongside the nutrients, sediment and other contaminants already monitored in Florida’s wetlands and stormwater systems. Incorporating microplastic monitoring into existing environmental management programs could help identify where plastics are entering waterways and where they are accumulating.

“Wetlands are often viewed as places that protect us by filtering what moves through the landscape, but they can also capture and redistribute pollutants,” said Johanson. “If we want to protect these ecosystems for the long term, we need to understand not only what is entering them, but how water moves that pollution through the system. A protected wetland is not an isolated wetland – it is connected to everything upstream and downstream through the movement of water.”

Study co-authors are Juana Baudrix, who earned her master’s degree at FAU in geosciences; and Julie Buchanich, a Ph.D. student in FAU’s Department of Geosciences.

The research was supported by FAU’s School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University is one of the nation’s fastest-rising public research universities, serving more than 32,000 students in South Florida. Ranked among the Top 100 Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report, recognized as a Top 25 Best-In-Class College, and cited by Washington Monthly as one of the nation’s most effective engines of upward mobility, Florida Atlantic is also one of only 13 institutions nationwide to hold Carnegie Foundation designations for R1 research, opportunity and community engagement. Guided by its strategic plan, “2031FAU: Where Tomorrow Begins,” the university is focused on delivering career-ready education and experiential learning, driving scholarly inquiry that creates healthier, safer and more prosperous communities, strengthening institutional excellence, and elevating its impact across South Florida and beyond. Florida Atlantic continues to advance its position as Florida’s first quantum university, integrating research, education and industry partnerships around next-generation computing technologies. Through other signature strengths in neuroscience and healthy aging, environmental, ocean and coastal innovation, and national defense and autonomous systems, Florida Atlantic expands knowledge, fuels economic opportunity and fulfills its mission as South Florida’s hometown university.

 

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Journal

Evolving Earth

DOI

10.1016/j.eve.2026.100158 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Hydrological and sedimentary controls on microplastic distribution in an urban wetland, Spruce Bluff Preserve, Florida

Article Publication Date

23-Aug-2026

 

Transects within Spruce Bluff Preserve. Researchers collected 40 surface sediment samples along eight transects, highlighted in yellow, spanning different ecological zones.

Credit

Evolving Earth