We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Impact of typhoon events on microplastic distribution in offshore sediments in Leizhou Peninsula of the South China Sea
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how typhoon events redistribute microplastics in offshore sediments around the Leizhou Peninsula in the South China Sea. The study found that monsoon and typhoon conditions significantly altered microplastic distribution patterns, with polypropylene and high-density polyethylene dominating across seasons, demonstrating how extreme weather events can reshape contamination patterns.
Microplastic is an emerging pollutant and a technical fossil in Anthropocene sediments. Typhoon frequency and intensity have increased due to climate change, which has a major effect on the distribution patterns of microplastics. It is still unknown, though, how the topography of the peninsula affects the reconstruction of the distribution of microplastic in typhoons. Due to frequent typhoons, the Leizhou Peninsula (LZP) in the north part of the South China Sea is an ideal place to study the impact of topographic variations on microplastic distribution during typhoon events. This study investigated microplastics ranging in size from 50 μm to 5 mm in sediment. Microscopic inspection and μ-FTIR tests were used to identify microplastic characteristics from offshore surface sediments before and after typhoons. The average microplastic abundance in offshore sediments decreased from 18 ± 17 items/kg to 15 ± 15 items/kg after typhoons. Results show that typhoons only increase the microplastic abundance in topographically protected areas along the northeast coast of LZP, with no significant difference observed in other regions. The influence of typhoon on the morphological characteristics of microplastics in sediments is more pronounced and widespread, as evidenced by a shift in the predominant shape of microplastics from fibers to fragments and a decrease in size accompanied by an increased abundance within the 100 μm-1 mm fraction. The color of microplastics remained similar before and after typhoons, and the polymer composition of microplastics became more uniform. The alteration of microplastic morphology may be attributed to the enhancement of wave intensity induced by typhoons. This study enhances the comprehension of typhoon-induced impacts on pollutant redistribution, specifically microplastics, thereby providing essential empirical evidence and theoretical foundations for pollution regulation.
More Papers Like This
Data for the paper of "Impact of typhoon events on microplastic distribution in offshore sediments in Leizhou Peninsula of the South China Sea".
AI summary Read the abstract
This is a dataset from a study on how typhoon events redistribute microplastics in offshore sediments in the South China Sea — not a standalone research article.
Microplastic occurrence in the northern South China Sea, A case for Pre and Post cyclone analysis
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers analyzed microplastic contamination in the northern South China Sea before and after a cyclone, finding that the storm event significantly altered microplastic distribution patterns in both coastal seawater and sediments.
Data for the paper of "Impact of typhoon events on microplastic distribution in offshore sediments in Leizhou Peninsula of the South China Sea"
AI summary Read the abstract
This is a dataset from a study on how typhoon events redistribute microplastics in offshore sediments in the South China Sea — not a standalone research article.
Typhoon-induced turbulence redistributed microplastics in coastal areas and reformed plastisphere community
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how Typhoon Wipha affected microplastic distribution and the microbial communities living on plastic surfaces in coastal waters near Shenzhen, China. They found that the typhoon significantly increased microplastic abundance in surface water while decreasing it in sediment, suggesting storm turbulence resuspends settled particles. The typhoon also reshaped the plastisphere microbial community, indicating that extreme weather events can redistribute both microplastics and their associated organisms.
Impacts of extreme weather events on microplastic distribution in coastal environments
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted a year-long survey in Hong Kong to study how extreme weather events affect microplastic distribution in coastal environments. They found that typhoons and rainstorms dramatically increased microplastic levels, with abundance jumping 5 to 36 times higher after major storms. The study suggests that extreme weather is the primary driver of seasonal variation in coastal microplastic pollution, which has implications as these events become more frequent.
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.