Characteristics and distribution of microplastics in the coastal mangrove sediments of China.

Sci Total Environ

CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 264003 Yantai, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008 Nanjing, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China. Electronic address:

Published: February 2020

AI Article Synopsis

  • Mangroves, vital coastal wetlands in tropical areas, have poorly understood levels of microplastic pollution in their sediments.
  • The study examined 21 sampling sites along China's southeastern coast, finding various shapes, colors, and types of microplastics, with foams and fibers being the most common.
  • Results showed significant variations in microplastic abundance, ranging from 8.3 to 5738.3 items per kg of dry sediment, highlighting the need for better management and policy-making regarding this pollution issue.

Article Abstract

Mangroves are a unique and important type of coastal wetlands in the tropical and subtropical zones worldwide. The abundance and spatial distribution of microplastics in the mangrove sediments however are still poorly understood. The present study aimed to illustrate the characteristics, abundance and spatial distribution of microplastics in different mangrove sediments along the south-eastern coastal zones of China. Microplastic samples (roughly 10-20 kg fresh sediments at each site) taken from 21 sampling sites showed various shapes, colors, composition, sizes, surface morphology, abundance and strong spatial heterogeneity. Five different shapes of microplastics with a variety of colors were detected in the mangrove sediments, among which foams (74.6%) and fibers (14.0%) were the dominant types. The polymer composition of the microplastics identified based on the FT-IR and μ-FTIR covered polystyrene (75.2%), polypropylene (11.7%), rayon (4.6%), polyester (3.4%), polyethylene (2.8%) and acrylic (2.4%). The observed microplastics with a size range of less than 2 mm made up 58.6% of the total microplastic particles. The microplastics had various surface morphologies, exhibiting complicated weathered surfaces. The abundance of microplastics showed a substantial variation among the sampling sites, ranging from 8.3 to 5738.3 items kg (dry sediment). Altogether, our study provides a better understanding of microplastic pollution status and prevention policy-making of mangrove habitats in China.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134807DOI Listing

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