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Weathering Process and Characteristics of Microplastics in Coastal Wetlands: A 24-Month In Situ Study

Environmental Science & Technology 2025 9 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 63 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Rongze Liu, Teng Wang Teng Wang Teng Wang Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Teng Wang Teng Wang Teng Wang Yining Fang, Yining Fang, Rongze Liu, Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Feng Yuan, Feng Yuan, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Rongze Liu, Yongcheng Ding, Rongze Liu, Teng Wang Rongze Liu, Dongxiang Liu, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang Teng Wang Jianguo Tao, Hong Liao, Hong Liao, Hong Liao, Hong Liao, Hong Liao, Rongze Liu, Rongze Liu, Rongze Liu, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Dongxiang Liu, Hong Liao, Teng Wang Hong Liao, Feng Yuan, Wenwen Yu, Jianguo Tao, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Rongze Liu, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang Feng Yuan, Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang Teng Wang Rongze Liu, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Teng Wang Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Dongxiang Liu, Yongcheng Ding, Jianguo Tao, Wenwen Yu, Dongxiang Liu, Feng Yuan, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Wenwen Yu, Jianguo Tao, Yongcheng Ding, Jianguo Tao, Jianguo Tao, Jianguo Tao, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang Jianguo Tao, Teng Wang Teng Wang Feng Yuan, Yongcheng Ding, Ya Ping Wang, Feng Yuan, Hong Liao, Feng Yuan, Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Teng Wang Jianguo Tao, Feng Yuan, Wenwen Yu, Wenwen Yu, Feng Yuan, Ya Ping Wang, Rongze Liu, Rongze Liu, Wenwen Yu, Wenwen Yu, Wenwen Yu, Wenwen Yu, Wenwen Yu, Wenwen Yu, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yining Fang, Wenwen Yu, Teng Wang Hong Liao, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Wenwen Yu, Hong Liao, Teng Wang Teng Wang

Summary

Researchers placed five types of common microplastics in a coastal wetland for 24 months and tracked how they broke down over time. All plastics showed increasing surface damage, chemical changes, and fragmentation, with polystyrene degrading the fastest. The study demonstrates that natural environments actively break microplastics into ever-smaller pieces, which are more easily taken up by organisms and can eventually enter the human food chain.

Polymers

PE PP PS

Coastal wetlands function as critical retention zones for environmental microplastics, potentially accelerating their degradation through unique hydrological conditions. This study conducted a comprehensive 24-month in situ experiment at the Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve, examining the weathering processes of five morphologically distinct polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) microplastics. Quarterly analyses revealed progressive surface deterioration in all microplastics after initial exposure, followed by polymer-specific fragmentation patterns and environmental pollutant adherence. Surface elemental analysis showed rising O/C ratios, with intertidal zones exhibiting higher variance (0.0014-0.0096 vs 0.0006-0.0028 supratidal). Carbonyl index (CI) displayed fluctuating increases, with PS showing the highest CI rise (75.75%/year intertidal vs 61.77%/year supratidal). Systematic comparisons identified three weathering determinants: enhanced intertidal degradation from mechanical-photochemical synergy; spherical particles degrading faster than films via larger surface area; and polymer vulnerabilities dictating PS > PP > PE degradation rates. These findings demonstrate that microplastic weathering in coastal wetlands is collectively governed by hydrological conditions, particle morphology, and polymer composition, providing crucial quantitative parameters for assessing environmental persistence and ecological risks in these sensitive transition ecosystems.

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