Assessment of mariculture-derived microplastic pollution in Dapeng Cove, China

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Abstract

Marine microplastic pollution just as ocean acidification and greenhouse effect has attracted much environmental concern and become a hot research subject for marine researchers globally. The abundances, distribution, and characteristics of microplastics in surface seawater and sediments from Dapeng Cove were investigated in this study. The results indicated that the abundance of microplastics was 1333 ± 773 items/m ³ in surface seawater and 1381 ± 1021 items/kg in sediments, showing a medium microplastic pollution level compared with other sea areas. Fibers were the prevailing shapes of microplastics in both surface seawater and sediments, representing 65.4% and 52.1% of the total microplastic numbers, respectively. Moreover, small microplastics (<1mm) in surface seawater and sediments accounted for 69.6% and 62.2%, respectively. According to the identification by Fourier Transform Infrared microscope (micro-FTIR), the main composition of microplastics in surface seawater and sediments was polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP). It is necessary to enhance the regulation of current plastic products used in aquaculture, reduce the production and release of microplastics during the mariculture process, and develop alternatives to plastic fishing gear. The results of this study suggested that long-term mariculture development had caused the accumulation of a large amount of microplastics in water and sediments in Dapeng Cove. We constructed the first basic data of microplastics pollution about Dapeng Cove. This study will serve as a reference for further studies of the distribution and migration of microplastics in mariculture zones.

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Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea

Marcus Eriksen, Laurent C. M. Lebreton, Henry Carson … (2014)

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous throughout the marine environment, yet estimates of the global abundance and weight of floating plastics have lacked data, particularly from the Southern Hemisphere and remote regions. Here we report an estimate of the total number of plastic particles and their weight floating in the world's oceans from 24 expeditions (2007–2013) across all five sub-tropical gyres, costal Australia, Bay of Bengal and the Mediterranean Sea conducting surface net tows (N = 680) and visual survey transects of large plastic debris (N = 891). Using an oceanographic model of floating debris dispersal calibrated by our data, and correcting for wind-driven vertical mixing, we estimate a minimum of 5.25 trillion particles weighing 268,940 tons. When comparing between four size classes, two microplastic 4.75 mm, a tremendous loss of microplastics is observed from the sea surface compared to expected rates of fragmentation, suggesting there are mechanisms at play that remove <4.75 mm plastic particles from the ocean surface.

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Distribution and importance of microplastics in the marine environment: A review of the sources, fate, effects, and potential solutions.

H S Auta, C Emenike, S H Fauziah (2017)

The presence of microplastics in the marine environment poses a great threat to the entire ecosystem and has received much attention lately as the presence has greatly impacted oceans, lakes, seas, rivers, coastal areas and even the Polar Regions. Microplastics are found in most commonly utilized products (primary microplastics), or may originate from the fragmentation of larger plastic debris (secondary microplastics). The material enters the marine environment through terrestrial and land-based activities, especially via runoffs and is known to have great impact on marine organisms as studies have shown that large numbers of marine organisms have been affected by microplastics. Microplastic particles have been found distributed in large numbers in Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, India, South Africa, North America, and in Europe. This review describes the sources and global distribution of microplastics in the environment, the fate and impact on marine biota, especially the food chain. Furthermore, the control measures discussed are those mapped out by both national and international environmental organizations for combating the impact from microplastics. Identifying the main sources of microplastic pollution in the environment and creating awareness through education at the public, private, and government sectors will go a long way in reducing the entry of microplastics into the environment. Also, knowing the associated behavioral mechanisms will enable better understanding of the impacts for the marine environment. However, a more promising and environmentally safe approach could be provided by exploiting the potentials of microorganisms, especially those of marine origin that can degrade microplastics.

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The plastic in microplastics: A review.

Anthony Andrady (2017)

Microplastics [MPs], now a ubiquitous pollutant in the oceans, pose a serious potential threat to marine ecology and has justifiably encouraged focused biological and ecological research attention. But, their generation, fate, fragmentation and their propensity to sorb/release persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are determined by the characteristics of the polymers that constitutes them. Yet, physico-chemical characteristics of the polymers making up the MPs have not received detailed attention in published work. This review assesses the relevance of selected characteristics of plastics that composes the microplastics, to their role as a pollutant with potentially serious ecological impacts. Fragmentation leading to secondary microplastics is also discussed underlining the likelihood of a surface-ablation mechanism that can lead to preferential formation of smaller sized MPs.