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The transport and vertical distribution of microplastics in the Mekong River, SE Asia
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Researchers measured microplastic levels throughout the water column of the Mekong River in Cambodia and Vietnam, finding concentrations increased significantly from rural to urban areas. Most microplastics were fibers, predominantly polyester, and 86% were transported within the water column rather than at the surface. The study reveals that surface-only sampling methods substantially underestimate actual microplastic levels in major rivers.
Rivers are primary vectors of plastic debris to oceans, but sources, transport mechanisms, and fate of fluvial microplastics (<5 mm) remain poorly understood, impeding accurate predictions of microplastic flux, ecological risk and socio-economic impacts. We report on microplastic concentrations, characteristics and dynamics in the Mekong River, one of the world's largest and polluting rivers, in Cambodia and Vietnam. Sampling throughout the water column at multiple localities detected an average of 24 microplastics m-3 (0.073 mg l-1). Concentrations increased downstream from rural Kampi, Cambodia (344 km from river mouth; 2 microplastics m-3, 0.006 mg l-1), to Can Tho, Vietnam (83 km from river mouth; 64 microplastics m-3, 0.182 mg l-1) with most microplastics being fibres (53 %), followed by fragments (44 %) and the most common polymer being polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyester. Pathways of microplastic pollution are expected to be from urban wastewater highlighting the need for improved wastewater treatment in this region. On average, 86 % of microplastics are transported within the water column and consequently we identified an optimum sampling depth capturing a representative flux value, highlighting that sampling only the water surface substantially biases microplastic concentration predictions. Additionally, microplastic abundance does not linearly follow discharge changes during annual monsoonal floods or mirror siliciclastic sediment transport, as microplastic concentrations decrease rapidly during higher monsoon flows. The findings reveal complex microplastic transport in large rivers and call for improved sampling methods and predictive models to better assess environmental risk and guide policy.
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