Abstract
Microplastics are considered to be a widespread environmental contaminant, posing a serious threat to the aquatic environment. We addressed this issue based on field observations and laboratory analysis of samples from Poyang Lake. We collected sediment samples from 10 sites across Poyang Lake during 2017. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results showed that the abundance of microplastics ranged from 11 to 3,153 items/kg dw in the sediment samples. Except at Nanjishan, the amount of microplastics in different periods decreased in the order: December > April > July. Microplastics with a size <1 mm were the most abundant fraction in sediments, reaching over 50%. Observations under microscope revealed four types of microplastics in Poyang Lake: fragments, films, foams and fibers. Fragments were more common in sediments. Microplastics have complex surface topography, typically including rough surfaces, porous structures, cracks and extensive damage. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicated that most microplastics contained Si, Na, Ca, Cl and Al. Overall, the results provided strong evidence of high levels of microplastics in Poyang Lake, suggested that the microplastics pollution status in Poyang Lake should continue to be monitored.
Highlights
Millions of metric tons of plastic are produced annually, some of which are released to the environment (Yoshida et al )
The abundances of microplastics reached 11.0–234.6 items/ kg dw in sediments in Taihu Lake (Lei et al ). These results demonstrate that microplastics pollution is a global issue
We found that the average abundance of microplastics ranged from 11 to 3153 items/kg dw in sediment from Poyang Lake, thereby demonstrating that microplastics pollution in Poyang Lake merits our attention
Summary
Millions of metric tons of plastic are produced annually, some of which are released to the environment (Yoshida et al ). The longevity of plastic is estimated to be hundreds to thousands of years (Barnes et al ). Plastics accumulate continuously in the environment and become prevalent in aquatic ecosystems across the globe (Rocha-Santos & Duarte ). Pollution caused by plastic debris is an urgent environmental problem of growing concern due to its environmental persistence and complexity, as well as the potential for microplastics to introduce toxic chemicals into surface waters and the associated threat to marine wildlife (Lwanga et al ; Li et al ). An increasing number of marine species are directly impaired by plastics, as they can become entangled in ropes and drown, or ingest plastic debris that may clog their digestive systems (Hämer et al ).
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