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Microplastics in Pearl River Estuary and Yangtze River Estuary, China: Occurrence, fragmentation and pollution risk
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Researchers compared microplastic pollution in the Pearl River Estuary and Yangtze River Estuary in China using identical sampling and analysis methods. The Yangtze River Estuary had nearly ten times more microplastics, dominated by polypropylene and polyethylene fragments, with higher levels of particle fragmentation suggesting more advanced degradation. Both estuaries were primarily contaminated with small microplastics under 300 micrometers, indicating these important waterways are transporting substantial quantities of tiny plastic particles to the ocean.
• Collection of water samples from different estuaries using the same sampling methodology and subsequent analysis of MPs. • MP abundance in the YRE is higher than that in the PRE. • PP and PE were major polymers of the PRE and the YRE. • SMPs was the dominant presence of MPs in the PRE and the YRE. • MP pollution risk of the PRE and the YRE was low. Estuaries have received widespread attention as important zones for transporting pollutants from rivers to the ocean. The distribution characteristics and risks of microplastics (MPs) pollution in estuaries require further investigation. This study analyzed the occurrence and risks of MPs in the surface waters of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and the Yangtze River Estuary (YRE) using identical analytical methods. MPs were more abundant in the YRE (2.80 × 10 4 ± 2.30 × 10 4 particles/m 3 ) than in the PRE (3.10 × 10 3 ± 9.97 × 10 2 particles/m 3 ). In the PRE, polypropylene (PP, 31.61 %), polyethylene terephthalate (PET, 13.55 %), and polyethylene (PE, 12.26 %) were the main components, unlike the YRE, which primarily contained PP (57.43 %) and PE (39.31 %). The most common shapes and sizes of MPs in both regions were fragments and small-sized MPs (SMPs, 10–300 μm), respectively. In addition, MP characteristics in each estuary influenced their diversity index differently: MP shapes in the YRE and polymer types in the PRE. Furthermore, MPs in the YRE showed higher fragmentation levels compared to those in the PRE, indicating that the downsizing of SMPs in the YRE might have reached a stable size distribution, as indicated by the conditional fragmentation model (CDF) and carbonyl index of PP and PE. Moreover, similar sources (soil, rainfall, and atmospheric deposition) in the estuary were identified using CDF fingerprinting. Although the risk of MP pollution in the surface water of both estuaries was classified as low, the pollution risk index for PRE (PRI PRE =14.8325) was higher than that for YRE (PRI YRE =6.0450). This difference is due to the varying abundance of highly toxic polymers in the two estuaries. Simultaneous comparative observations of MPs are beneficial for understanding the fate and environmental risks associated with MPs in different estuaries.
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