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Abundance of microplastics and its ecological risk assessment in coral reef regions of Peninsular Malaysia
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Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in surface waters around coral reef regions of Peninsular Malaysia. They detected microplastics at all sampling sites, with the Perhentian Islands showing significantly higher levels than Tioman Island, likely due to oceanographic differences. Small fragments and fibers of polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common types found, providing baseline data on microplastic pollution in these sensitive reef ecosystems.
Microplastic contamination is an emerging concern in marine ecosystems, with limited knowledge on its impact on coral reefs, particularly in Malaysia. Surface waters were collected from several coral reef regions in Peninsular Malaysia by towing a plankton net behind the boat. Microplastics were detected at all sites, with a mean abundance of 0.344 ± 0.457 MP/m. Perhentian Islands (0.683 ± 0.647 MP/m) had significantly higher microplastic levels than Tioman Island (0.108 ± 0.063 MP/m), likely due to oceanographic differences. Over half of the microplastics (55.7 %) were small microplastics (<1 mm), with the 0.05-0.5 mm size class being most abundant (29.2 %). Fragments and fibres dominated, and black, blue, and green were the prevalent colours. Polyethylene (PE), rayon (RY), chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), and polypropylene (PP) were the most common polymers. This study reveals the abundance and characteristics of microplastics, provides important data for further research on microplastics in coral reef ecosystem.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.