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Underestimated land-to-sea microplastic emissions: The crucial role of rainfall events
Summary
Researchers investigated microplastic emission characteristics during a rainfall event in Masan Bay, Korea, using time-weighted sampling in the Samhochoen stream to capture temporal variation in microplastic loads. They found that microplastic abundance peaked during early runoff stages and was strongly influenced by rainfall intensity, with polypropylene and polyethylene accounting for roughly 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