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Vertical Stratification and Driving Factors of Microplastics in the South China Sea: Distributions, Mechanisms, and Ecological Risks

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Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Hongyu Chen, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Hongyu Chen, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Miao Yu, Teng Wang, Weiwei Fang, Yuping Yang, Yuping Yang, Qing Wang Qing Wang Songshuo Li, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Songshuo Li, Hongyu Chen, Yongcheng Ding, Xiang Huang, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Qing Wang Qing Wang Hongyu Chen, Qing Wang Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Hongyu Chen, Feng Yuan, Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Hongyu Chen, Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Feng Yuan, Qing Wang Feng Yuan, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Teng Wang, Hongyu Chen, Qing Wang Teng Wang, Weiwei Fang, Teng Wang, Qing Wang Hongyu Chen, Qing Wang Yuping Yang, Qing Wang Qing Wang Hongyu Chen, Qing Wang Jianqiang Wu, Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Teng Wang, Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Yongcheng Ding, Yongcheng Ding, Feng Yuan, Qing Wang Qing Wang Qing Wang Yuping Yang, Qing Wang Qing Wang Teng Wang, Songshuo Li, Songshuo Li, Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Qing Wang Yongcheng Ding, Qing Wang Lijun Xiong, Qing Wang Qing Wang Teng Wang, Teng Wang, Qing Wang Qing Wang

Summary

Researchers collected water samples from 15 stations across the South China Sea to map the vertical distribution of microplastics through the water column. They found that depth, ocean currents, and biological activity strongly influenced microplastic stratification, with ecological risk higher in surface and subsurface layers.

Polymers

PE PP PVC

The South China Sea, a semienclosed marginal sea and global hotspot for plastic pollution, presents complex hydrodynamics and pronounced water column stratification, offering a unique setting to investigate the vertical behavior of microplastics. This study examines vertical distribution, environmental drivers, and ecological risks of microplastics using water samples collected from 15 stations across 5 depth layers. Microplastic abundance significantly decreased with depth, accompanied by a compositional shift from low-density, small-sized, fibrous polyethylene and polypropylene at surface to higher-density, larger-sized, granular polyvinyl chloride and polyester in deeper layers. Principal component analysis and stratification index analysis revealed that gradients in temperature, salinity, density, and pressure jointly drive microplastic vertical differentiation. Notably, water column stability─primarily controlled by density gradients─plays a pivotal role in limiting microplastic vertical transport, as evidenced by a strong positive correlation between stratification index and vertical abundance gradient. A species sensitivity distribution model based on representative Chinese coastal species yielded a hazardous concentration for 5% of species of 12.3 items/L and a predicted no-effect concentration of 6.15 items/L. Moderate ecological risks were observed in surface waters, particularly for bivalves and planktonic crustaceans. These findings highlight the critical role of stratification in modulating microplastic exposure risks in marginal seas.

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