Alice A. Horton

Research Statement

AI generated · Oct 26, 2026

Alice A. Horton's indexed work centers on microplastic contamination across freshwater and terrestrial environments, with a widely cited review mapping knowledge gaps and research priorities in the field. Her River Thames research includes quantifying large microplastic particles in tributary sediments and tracing microplastic ingestion by roach in relation to exposure and physiology, while a complementary review addresses environmental transport processes governing how plastics move through ecosystems. Later first-author work turns toward remote and vulnerable marine ecosystems under rapid environmental change and asks when evidence on plastic pollution is sufficient for action. Beyond these lead-author studies, Horton contributed as a middle author to a large-scale survey of microplastic abundance in European beach sediment and to a catchment-scale perspective on plastic pollution, extending the picture from local rivers to continental and watershed scales. Related co-authored work examines reduced reproduction in the terrestrial worm Enchytraeus crypticus and a temporal sediment record of microplastics in an urban lake, broadening the settings and organisms studied. No software, datasets, patents, or grants are indexed beyond her publications. Across these outputs, the arc runs from documenting contamination and its biological effects toward synthesis and policy-relevant framing of plastic pollution.

Most Cited Works

Microplastics in freshwater and terrestrial environments: Evaluating the current understanding to identify the knowledge gaps and future research priorities

Alice A Horton, Alexander Walton, David J Spurgeon, Elma Lahive, Claus Svendsen

The Science of The Total Environment2017

3,752Citations

Large microplastic particles in sediments of tributaries of the River Thames, UK – Abundance, sources and methods for effective quantification

Alice A Horton, Claus Svendsen, Richard J Williams, David J Spurgeon, Elma Lahive

Marine Pollution Bulletin2016

Research Areas

Microplastics and Plastic PollutionPharmaceutical and Antibiotic EnvironmenEnvironmental Toxicology and EcotoxicoloWaste Management and RecyclingToxic Organic Pollutants Impact

Affiliations & Education

Employment

2025–present· now
Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom(GB)
2019–2025
National Oceanography Centre(GB)
Ocean BioGeosciences
2014–2019
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology(GB)
Pollution

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Sources