Abstract
BackgroundThe Yangtze Estuary acts as gateways where microplastics transport from freshwater into marine environments, with one of the largest discharge volumes in the world. The occurrence of microplastics in surface water and sediments of the Yangtze Estuary has been reported. However, little is known about microplastics in and around Chongming Island in the estuary. In this study, the distribution of microplastics in surface water and sediments of Chongming Island was investigated and compared in different environmental medium.ResultsAbundances of microplastics in surface water and sediments were in the ranges of 0–259 items m− 3 and 10–60 items kg− 1 dry weight, respectively. Microplastics were more abundant in the surface water of the Yangtze River shores than in the inland rivers (p < 0.01). Proportions in fiber form in surface water and sediment were 33% and 67%; and those in fragment form were 39% and 24%. Most particles (> 72%) were < 1 mm in the longest dimension; 65% were white and 30% were transparent. Of the 11 compositions identified, polyethylene, polypropylene, and α-cellulose predominated in both phases.ConclusionThis is the first study to focus on microplastics in inland watercourses on Chongming Island and along the Yangtze River’s shores in both phases. There were differences between the island and estuary in composition and density due to the distinct vertical mixing processes. The in situ filtration of surface water (100 L) sampling method was well employed in various freshwater environments and free of plastic materials in front of the filter, analysis results of which provided an important baseline reference for evaluating microplastic pollution in the Yangtze Estuary.
Highlights
The Yangtze Estuary acts as gateways where microplastics transport from freshwater into marine environments, with one of the largest discharge volumes in the world
Sampling sites on Chongming Island can be divided into two groups: group YRS (Yangtze River shores) including six sites along the island shorelines, and group Inland rivers (ILR) including nine sites from six main inland rivers on Chongming Island, representing microplastic pollution from land-based sources
Microplastics are ubiquitous in freshwater environments but, compared to marine environments, few reliable bulk-sampling methods are available for their study
Summary
The Yangtze Estuary acts as gateways where microplastics transport from freshwater into marine environments, with one of the largest discharge volumes in the world. The occurrence of microplastics in surface water and sediments of the Yangtze Estuary has been reported. The distribution of microplastics in surface water and sediments of Chongming Island was investigated and compared in different environmental medium. The term ‘microplastics’ refers to plastic particles of < 5 mm in size [2] Their presence in the environment has been reported since the early 1970s [3], and many studies since have shown that microplastics are ubiquitous in the oceans at all depths [4, 5], from the Arctic [6] to the Antarctic [7]. Previous studies have shown that once in the aquatic environment, microplastics are ingested by a range of organisms, with further impact due to the leaching of toxic plastic additives including bisphenols and
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