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Microplastic pollution and ecological risk assessment of Yueqing Bay affected by intensive human activities
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Scientists surveyed microplastic pollution in Yueqing Bay, China, finding contamination in seawater, sediments, and marine organisms, with mariculture and shipping identified as major sources. The pollution levels ranged from low to medium compared with other coastal areas, but the ecological risk assessment found concerning levels for certain plastic polymers. The study highlights how concentrated human activities along coastlines contribute to microplastic contamination of marine environments and the organisms people harvest for food.
Microplastics (MPs) are a widespread environmental problem posing ecological risks in the ocean. We investigated the abundance, spatial distribution, characteristics and ecological risks of MPs in surface seawater, sediments and organisms in Yueqing Bay, China. MPs were detected in both environmental media and organisms. The overall abundance (0.24 items/m seawater, 6.13 items/kg dry sediment, 0.77 items/individual in organisms) was low to medium compared with other coastal areas. The MPs were mainly derived from the high-intensity mariculture and shipping in the bay, as well as industrial and human activities along the surrounding coast. The abundance of MPs in water of the left (western) bay (0.39 items/m) was considerably higher than that of the right (north-eastern) bay (0.07 items/m) due to the different levels of population and economic development on the left and right coasts. The ecological risk assessment showed generally low to medium risk from MPs pollution in Yueqing Bay, with higher ecological risk index (H) and potential ecological hazards (RI) of MPs polymers in water samples. These data emphasize the need for timely and effective action to reduce the contribution of intensive human activities to MPs pollution and provide information for further ecotoxicological studies, pollution control, and policy development of MPs.
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