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Environmental Sources
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Occurrence and abundance of microplastics in surface water of Songkhla Lagoon
PeerJ2024
10 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 50
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Researchers surveyed microplastic contamination in the surface waters of Songkhla Lagoon in Thailand and found microplastics at all sampling sites. Small fibers under 500 micrometers were the most abundant type, with rayon and polyester being the dominant polymer materials. The findings indicate that this important coastal lagoon system is widely affected by microplastic pollution from surrounding urban and industrial sources.
MPs were detected at all ten of the sites sampled. The most abundant MPs were small size class (<500 µm, primarily consisting of fibers). Five types of polymers were seen in surface water, including polyethylene terephthalate, rayon, polypropylene, polyester, and poly (ethylene:propylene). Rayon and polyester were the dominant polymers. Additionally, the most dominant color of MPs in the wet and dry season was black and blue, respectively. The mean contents of MPs in the wet and dry season were 0.43 ± 0.18 and 0.34 ± 0.08 items/L, respectively. The Mann-Whitney U test suggested a significant difference between water quality in the wet and dry seasons (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Correlation analysis (Spearman rho) indicated a negative significant difference relationship between the MPs and the values of total dissolved solid (TDS) in the wet season (r = -0.821, <i>p</i> = <0.05), revealing that the large amounts of MPs may possibly be dispersed within surface water bodies with low TDS concentrations. Based on the overall findings, MP pollution in the surface water of the lagoon is not found to be influenced by the seasonal context. Rivers flowing into the lagoon, especially the U-Taphao River, may be a principal pathway contributing to increased MP pollution loading in the lagoon. The results can be used as baseline data to undertake further research work relevant to sources, fates, distribution, and impacts of MPs in other coastal lagoons.