Progress on microplastics pollution and its ecological effects in the coastal environment

Abstract

Microplastics are emerging pollutants in marine and coastal environments and are of concern worldwide. This paper systematically summarizes the research progress on microplastics pollution and its ecological effects in the coastal environment around the world during the past ten years. There remain some key technical points that need to be solved urgently to study mircroplastics pollution, including highly efficient and accurate separation and identification methods and reliable source identification techniques and models. Future hot topics in this field of study are likely to include: the spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in the coastal environment based on hydrodynamic models of ocean currents and tides; binding and release mechanisms of toxic pollutants with respect to the surface characteristics of microplastics; and methodology and databases for ecotoxicology and human health assessment of pollution with microplastics alone and in combination with toxic pollutants. Future research on microplastics pollution in the coastal environment will thus be subject to the integration of the international occurrence of plastics pollution and the development of key techniques to study the status of microplastics pollution in the coastal environment. On this basis prospective studies may focus on investigation of and monitoring of microplastics in the coastal environment, the combined occurrence of microplastics with other emerging pollutants, the transfer and bioaccumulation of microplastics and their combined pollutants among the different trophic levels, and the management of microplastics pollution. All these topics will contribute to filling the knowledge gap in mircroplastics pollution and promote the development of appropriate regulatory mechanisms.