Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Bohai Sea, China.

The ubiquitous presence and persistency of microplastics in aquatic environments is of particular concern because these pollutants represent an increasing threat to marine organisms and ecosystems. An identification of the patterns of microplastic distribution will help to understand the scale of their potential effect on the environment and on organisms. In this study, the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in the Bohai Sea are reported for the first time. We sampled floating microplastics at 11 stations in the Bohai Sea using a 330 μm trawling net in August 2016. The abundance, composition, size, shape and color of collected debris samples were analyzed after pretreatment. The average microplastic concentration was 0.33 ± 0.34 particles/m3. Micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that the main types of microplastics were polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. As the size of the plastics decreased, the percentage of polypropylene increased, whereas the percentages of polyethylene and polystyrene decreased. Plastic fragments, lines, and films accounted for most of the collected samples. Accumulation at some stations could be associated with transport and retention mechanisms that are linked to wind and the dynamics of the rim current, as well as different sources of the plastics.

Zhang W ，Zhang S ，Wang J ，Wang Y ，Mu J ，Wang P ，Lin X ，Ma D ... -  《-》

Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of Italian Subalpine Lakes.

Plastic debris incidence in marine environment was already highlighted in the early 1970s. Over the last decade, microplastic pollution in the environment has received increasing attention and is now an emerging research area. Many studies have focused on quantifying microplastic abundance in the marine environment, while there are relatively few data on microplastic occurrence in freshwater environment. Recent studies have reported high concentrations of microplastics in lakes and rivers, although the understanding of several factors influencing source, transport and fate is still limited. This study compares different lakes and the common factors, which could influence the occurrence and distribution of microplastics. The three subalpine lakes monitored include Lake Maggiore, Iseo and Garda. The selected sampling transects reflect the hydrologic conditions, the morphometric characteristics of these lakes, and other factors influencing the release of plastics debris in lakes. Particles of microplastics (<5 mm) were found in all sampled surfaces. The particles collected were classified depending on their number, shape and composition. The shape distribution showed the dominating occurrence of fragments (73.7%). The chemical composition of all examined samples clearly shows dominating presence of polyethylene (45%), polystyrene (18%) and polypropylene (15%). The results provide significant relations among the different contribution of direct and diffuse sources to the quantity of microplastics, highlighting the importance of understanding the spatial distribution dynamics of microplastics within a lake system that acts as a sink and source of plastic particles.

Sighicelli M ，Pietrelli L ，Lecce F ，Iannilli V ，Falconieri M ，Coscia L ，Di Vito S ，Nuglio S ，Zampetti G ... -  《-》

Simultaneous grading of microplastic size sampling in the Small Islands of Bintan water, Indonesia.

Despite Indonesia being considered as second highest source of marine plastic debris in the world, few studies have been conducted on plastic debris in Indonesia, particularly microplastics. By using a simple device to simultaneously grade floating microplastics, we investigated microplastic contamination in the ecosystem of small islands in Bintan Regency, Riau Island Province, Indonesia. The average number of floating microplastics from 11 beach stations around Bintan Island was 122.8 ± 67.8 pieces per station, which corresponds to 0.45 pieces per m3 and represents a low-medium microplastic pollution level compared to the levels of other marine environments worldwide. Polymer identification using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) Spectroscopy successfully identified Polyethylene (PE) (17.3 ± 8.3%), Low Density PE (17.6 ± 5.5%), Oxidized LDPE (<0.1%), Polypropylene (PP) (54 ± 13%), PP Atactic (<0.4%), PP isotactic (<0.2%) and Polystyrene (PS) (10.4 ± 9.1%) from different forms and shapes of microplastics i.e., fragments (50.9 ± 4.9%), fibers (26.2 ± 3%), granule (13.1 ± 3.8%) and films (9.8 ± 5.1%). We suggest that the generation of these microplastics was likely due to physicochemical processes, including biological degradation in this tropical ecosystem. Environmental implication of microplastics in this area increases the problems associated with ingestion, bioaccumulation and biomagnification across trophic levels and co-pollutants absorbed onto microplastics.

Syakti AD ，Hidayati NV ，Jaya YV ，Siregar SH ，Yude R ，Suhendy ，Asia L ，Wong-Wah-Chung P ，Doumenq P ... -  《-》

Characterization, source, and retention of microplastic in sandy beaches and mangrove wetlands of the Qinzhou Bay, China.

Severe microplastic pollution from anthropogenic activities in coastal zones presents an imminent risk to marine ecosystems. In this study, abundant microplastics (15-12,852 items kg-1) with sizes ranging between 0.16 and 5.0 mm were extracted from 17 sediment samples collected in sandy beaches and mangrove wetlands of the Qinzhou Bay, Guangxi Province, Southwest China. Three types of microplastics (i.e. polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyethylene) were identified with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis. These detected microplastics were characterized by different colors (white, transparent, yellow, green, red, and blue) and shapes (fragment, fiber, and sphere). Microplastics were concentrated on supratidal beaches and wetlands outside of mangrove, and less abundant on intertidal beaches and inside of mangrove wetlands. Meanwhile, high microplastic concentrations were observed near mollusk farms. The spatial distribution and chemical speciation indicated that microplastics were derived from disintegration of large plastic debris (e.g., Styrofoam buoys used to support mollusk rafts) abandoned by aquaculture industry. Further, coastal vegetation (e.g. mangrove) could trap microplastic particles.

Li J ，Zhang H ，Zhang K ，Yang R ，Li R ，Li Y ... -  《-》

Spatio-temporal distribution of plastic and microplastic debris in the surface water of the Bohai Sea, China.

As an emerging marine environmental issue, marine plastic debris pollution has attracted worldwide attention. Studies have covered more and more areas of the world's oceans. To further understand the sources and variation of marine plastic debris in the surface water of the Bohai Sea, in this study, plastic debris was collected during the four seasons of 2016-2017. The results showed the mean density of plastic debris over these seasons was 0.49 ± 0.18 particles/m3. Macro-, meso-, and micro- plastics accounted for 5%, 26%, and 69% of the total number of plastic debris, respectively. The density of the microplastics was 0.35 ± 0.13 particles/m3. The highest density was found in spring, followed by summer and winter, and the lowest in autumn. High distribution densities were observed in the Liaodong Bay and the Bohai Strait, which were attributed to the dynamics of the rim current, terrain, and fishery activities. CAPSULE ABSTRACT: Riverine input, dynamics of the rim current, terrain, and fishery activities contribute to the variations in marine plastic debris in the surface water of the Bohai Sea.

Zhang W ，Zhang S ，Zhao Q ，Qu L ，Ma D ，Wang J ... -  《-》