Microplastic pollution in the surface sediments collected from Sishili Bay, North Yellow Sea, China

Bin Zhang; Di Wu; Xin Yang; Jia Teng; Yongliang Liu; Chen Zhang; Jianmin Zhao; Xiaonan Yin; Liping You; Yanfang Liu; Qing Wang

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.02.021

Microplastic pollution in the surface sediments collected from Sishili Bay, North Yellow Sea, China

Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Apr:141:9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.02.021. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Authors

Bin Zhang¹, Di Wu¹, Xin Yang¹, Jia Teng², Yongliang Liu³, Chen Zhang³, Jianmin Zhao⁴, Xiaonan Yin⁵, Liping You⁶, Yanfang Liu², Qing Wang⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Civil Engineering and Construction and Environment, School of Food and Biotechnology, Xihua University, Chengdu 610039, PR China.
² Research and Development Center for Efficient Utilization of Coastal Bioresources, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, PR China.
³ Muping Coastal Environment Research Station, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, PR China.
⁴ Research and Development Center for Efficient Utilization of Coastal Bioresources, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, PR China; Muping Coastal Environment Research Station, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, PR China.
⁵ Yantai Oil Spill Response Technical Center of Yantai Maritime Safety Administration, Yantai 264000, PR China.
⁶ Shandong Marine Resource and Environment Research Institute, Yantai 264006, PR China.
⁷ Research and Development Center for Efficient Utilization of Coastal Bioresources, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, PR China. Electronic address: qingwang@yic.ac.cn.

PMID: 30955785
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.02.021

Abstract

As a new emergence pollutant, microplastic has aroused wide concern from both scholars and the public. In this study, microplastic pollution in surface sediments from 28 stations in Sishili Bay was investigated. The average abundance of microplastics was 499.76 ± 370.07 items/kg (d.w.). Fiber was the majority shape of microplastics (86.37%), followed by film, fragment and pellet. Microplastics <500 μm accounted for more than half of the total microplastics. Eight polymer types including rayon, PE, PP, PA, PET, PS, PMMA and PU were identified. The main component was rayon (58.41%), followed by PP and PET. The microplastic pollution in surface sediments of Sishili Bay is moderate compared with other studies. Microplastic pollution level in port, sewage outfall, estuary and aquaculture area of Sishili Bay was relatively high, which indicated that microplastic pollution was mainly sourced from river and sewage discharge and maritime activities.

Keywords: Microplastics; Pollution level; Sishili Bay; Surface sediments; Yellow Sea.

MeSH terms

Aquaculture
Bays
China
Environmental Monitoring
Estuaries
Geologic Sediments / analysis*
Plastics / analysis*
Rivers
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
Water Pollutants, Chemical / chemistry

Substances

Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical