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Environmental Sources
Marine & Wildlife
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Microplastics in Hong Kong's marine waters: Impact of rainfall and Pearl River discharge
Marine Pollution Bulletin2024
26 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 55
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Yaru Cao,
Kmy Leung
Yaru Cao,
Kai Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Luoluo Chen,
Michael C Y Cheng,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Michael C Y Cheng,
Kai Zhang,
Yue Ma,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kmy Leung
Mengyang Liu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Shaopeng Xu,
Yue Ma,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Mengyang Liu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Yaru Cao,
Yaru Cao,
Kmy Leung
Kmy Leung
Kai Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Meng Yan,
Kai Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Yue Ma,
Yue Ma,
Meng Yan,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Yue Ma,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Yaru Cao,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Luoluo Chen,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Luoluo Chen,
Kai Zhang,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Yue Ma,
Kai Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Kmy Leung
Kmy Leung
Hoi Shan Chau,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Hoi Shan Chau,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Luoluo Chen,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Kmy Leung
Luoluo Chen,
Kmy Leung
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Yaru Cao,
Yaru Cao,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Meng Yan,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Meng Yan,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Meng Yan,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
W. Thoe,
W. Thoe,
Meng Yan,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Kmy Leung
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Kmy Leung
Shaopeng Xu,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Meng Yan,
Kai Zhang,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
W. Thoe,
W. Thoe,
Kai Zhang,
Ron R Yang,
Ron R Yang,
Kmy Leung
Kmy Leung
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Sunny W C Sun,
Xiang‐Rong Xu,
Sunny W C Sun,
Ron R Yang,
Ron R Yang,
Kmy Leung
Kmy Leung
Paul K S Lam,
Paul K S Lam,
Kmy Leung
Summary
Researchers systematically tracked microplastic levels in Hong Kong's coastal waters from 2019 to 2021 and found that seasonal rainfall was a much bigger driver of contamination than pandemic-related factors like mask use. Microplastic abundance was significantly higher during the wet season, with surface runoff from rain carrying land-based pollution into the ocean. Sites closer to the Pearl River Delta had the highest levels, indicating that river discharge is a major source of marine microplastic contamination in the region.
Study Type
Environmental
This study provided a systematic investigation of microplastics in Hong Kong's surface marine waters during the pandemic from 2019 to 2021. Microplastics (2.07 ± 4.00 particles/m) exhibited significant temporal variations with higher abundance in the wet season, without a consistent trend after the mandatory mask-wearing requirement was announced. The impact of pandemic restrictions on microplastic distribution was found to be relatively minor. However, significant correlations between microplastic abundances and rainfall highlighted the substantial contribution of local emissions through surface runoff. Notably, sites in closer proximity to the Pearl River Delta exhibited higher microplastic abundances, indicating their association with emission sources. The influence of rainfall and adverse weather on marine microplastic loads demonstrated different sensitivities among various locations but can generally last for one month. These results revealed the impact of seasonal rainfall on coastal microplastics and emphasized the need for efforts to reduce microplastic discharge from land-based sources.