Baseline Study on Microplastic Distribution in the Open Surface Waters of the Korean Southwest Sea

This study investigated microplastic distribution characteristics by collecting surface seawater from sea areas to the south of Jeju Island in August 2020. The average microplastic abundance was 0.46 ± 0.27 particles/L (n = 23), and PE had a high ratio, averaging 53%. The levels of fragments and fibers were observed to be 69% and 31% on average, respectively. The most common size of the microplastics was on average 0.02–0.30 mm at a level of 69%. We found a higher abundance of microplastics in the study area than in other open waters such as the Arctic Central Basin and the Atlantic Ocean, whereas the abundance was lower than that in previous studies on coastal areas. We studied an area of open sea connecting China, Japan, and the Pacific Ocean, and, in this region, the microplastic distribution varies depending on sea currents in the surrounding areas. In the summer, the western and central regions of the study sea area have low salinity levels due to discharge from China’s Yangtze River. This generally indicates that high-density plastic deposits are found in the Yangtze River estuary, and low-density plastics are found in the study area. Furthermore, this implies that low- and high-density plastics are transported in water for long periods of time due to the Taiwan Warm Current and because the eastern sea area has high salinity.