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Effect of tidal current on the settling and accumulation of microplastics in the Chao Phraya River estuary, Thailand
Summary
Researchers investigated the effect of tidal currents on the settling and accumulation of microplastics in the Chao Phraya River estuary during a mixed spring tidal cycle, deploying sediment traps at 3 meters depth during flood and ebb tides. The study found that tidal dynamics significantly influence where and how microplastics are deposited in estuarine sediments.
The deposition of MPs in a water column and surface sediment during a mixed spring tidal cycle of the Chao Phraya River estuary was investigated. The settling MPs during flood and ebb tides were collected by deploying traps at 3 m below the surface, while the settled MPs throughout the tidal cycle were collected by deploying traps at 1 m above the bottom. The settling rate of MPs was 2168 pieces/m/h during highest to low tide, and 639 pieces/m/h during high to lowest tide. The deposition rate of MPs after the end of the tidal cycle was 3172 pieces/m/day, while the accumulation rate of MPs in the surface sediment was 1515 pieces/m/day. The settling MPs tended to decrease inversely to the suspended solids and salinity. The major types of the deposited MPs were polyethylene (36 %) and polyamide (33 %), while that of the surface sediment was epoxy resin (80 %).