Erratum to “Coupling of Sulfate Reduction and Dissolved Organic Carbon Degradation Accelerated by Microplastics in Blue Carbon Ecosystems” [Water Research, 279, (2025), 123414]

Corrigendum to “Microplastics in coastal blue carbon ecosystems: A global meta-analysis on its distribution, driving mechanisms and potential risks” [Science of the Total Environment, 878, (2023), 163048]

Coupling of sulfate reduction and dissolved organic carbon degradation accelerated by microplastics in blue carbon ecosystems

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Researchers found that polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics in mangrove sediments accelerated the breakdown of dissolved organic carbon by boosting sulfate-reducing bacteria activity. Millimeter-sized PLA particles had a greater effect than micrometer-sized ones, fundamentally altering carbon and sulfur cycling in these important coastal ecosystems. This matters because mangrove sediments are major carbon stores, and microplastic contamination could speed up carbon release, worsening climate change.

Microplastic-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter: Release Pattern, Chemical Properties, Environmental Risk, and Impact on Carbon Cycling

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This review examines microplastic-derived dissolved organic matter (MPs-DOM), which plastic debris releases at an estimated 23,600 tons annually into surface waters, covering its chemical properties, release patterns, and interactions with metals, microorganisms, and the carbon cycle. MPs-DOM represents a largely overlooked secondary pollution pathway through which microplastics extend their environmental impact well beyond the particles themselves.

Corrigendum to “Microplastics generated from a biodegradable plastic in freshwater and seawater” [Water Research, 198(2021), 117123]

Dark side of biodegradable microplastics in mangrove ecosystem: Plastisphere as an overlooked hotspot of sulfate-reducing metabolism

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Researchers exposed polyethylene and biodegradable polylactic acid microplastics to mangrove sediments for 150 days, finding that PLA microplastics enriched sulfate-reducing microbes more than PE microplastics and stimulated dissimilatory sulfate reduction, raising concerns that biodegradable plastics may disrupt carbon-sulfur biogeochemical cycles in mangrove ecosystems.