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Underestimated land-to-sea microplastic emissions: The crucial role of rainfall events
Summary
Researchers investigated the emission characteristics and loads of microplastics transported into Masan Bay via the Samhocheon stream during a rainfall event using time-weighted sampling, finding microplastic abundances ranging from 4.60 to 118 particles per liter with an event mean concentration of 29.87 particles per liter. They found that microplastic concentrations peaked during early runoff and varied with rainfall intensity, with polypropylene and polyethylene accounting for approximately 60% of detected polymers.
Microplastics are ubiquitous in various environmental media, with terrestrial environments considered important sources of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems. Urban rivers represent the major pathway for land-based microplastics in the global oceans, yet studies on temporal variation and input characteristics of microplastics through rivers during a rainfall event are limited. Herein, we investigated the emission characteristics and loads of microplastics into Masan Bay transported through the Samhochoen (the stream flowing into Masan Bay) during a rainfall event by applying time-weighted sampling. The abundance of microplastics ranged from 4.60 n/L to 118 n/L, and event mean concentrations (EMCs) of them were 29.87 n/L. The abundance of microplastics peaked in the early runoff stage and varied according to rainfall intensity during a rainfall event. Polypropylene and polyethylene were found as major polymers, accounting for around 60 Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559422/document