Distribution characteristics of microplastics in Zhubi Reef from South China Sea

Youjia Huang; Muting Yan; Kaihang Xu; Huayue Nie; Han Gong; Jun Wang

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113133

Distribution characteristics of microplastics in Zhubi Reef from South China Sea

Environ Pollut. 2019 Dec;255(Pt 1):113133. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113133. Epub 2019 Sep 11.

Authors

Youjia Huang¹, Muting Yan¹, Kaihang Xu¹, Huayue Nie¹, Han Gong¹, Jun Wang²

Affiliations

¹ College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
² College of Marine Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China; Joint Laboratory of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Region on Marine Bioresource Conservation and Exploitation, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. Electronic address: wangjun2016@scau.edu.cn.

PMID: 31536879
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113133

Abstract

As a new type of emerging pollutant in the ocean, microplastics have received global attention in recent years. Considering the increasing amount of human activities around the South China Sea, it is important to determine the current status of microplastic pollution in this region. In this study, we analyzed the abundance and distribution of microplastics at Zhubi Reef in the South China Sea. Microplastic abundance ranged from 1400 to 8100 items/m³ of surface water, which was much higher than the values reported from other ocean areas. About 80% of the microplastics were smaller than 0.5 mm in size. Fibers and pellets comprised the most common microplastic types. The dominant microplastics were transparent or blue in color. The main polymer types were polypropylene (25%) and polyamide (18%). In general, our results revealed Zhubi Reef was contaminated with microplastics, which were likely derived from the intensive fisheries in the area and emissions from coastal cities. This study also provides baseline data that are useful for additional studies of microplastics in the South China Sea.

Keywords: Abundance; Microplastics; Polyamide; Polypropylene; South China Sea; Zhubi reef.

MeSH terms

China
Cities
Coral Reefs
Environmental Monitoring / methods*
Microplastics / analysis*
Nylons / analysis
Polypropylenes / analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*
Water Pollution, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

Microplastics
Nylons
Polypropylenes
Water Pollutants, Chemical