Article
?
AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button.
Tier 2
?
Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Environmental Sources
Policy & Risk
Sign in to save
Microplastic occurrence and ecological risk assessment in the eight outlets of the Pearl River Estuary, a new insight into the riverine microplastic input to the northern South China Sea
Marine Pollution Bulletin2023
51 citations
?
Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 50
?
0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Mengyang Liu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Mengyang Liu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Hoi Shan Chau,
Kai Zhang,
Yaru Cao,
Kai Zhang,
Yaru Cao,
Yuefei Ruan,
Mengyang Liu,
Qi Wang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Mengyang Liu,
Qi Wang,
Yue Ma,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Yue Ma,
Mengyang Liu,
Yuefei Ruan,
Mengyang Liu,
Qi Wang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Qi Wang,
Qi Wang,
Qi Wang,
Mengyang Liu,
Mengyang Liu,
Qi Wang,
Kai Zhang,
Mengyang Liu,
Kai Zhang,
Qi Wang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Qi Wang,
Kai Zhang,
Shaopeng Xu,
Shaopeng Xu,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Yuefei Ruan,
Yaru Cao,
Yaru Cao,
Mengyang Liu,
Paul K.S. Lam
Meng Yan,
Yue Ma,
Yue Ma,
Mengyang Liu,
Kai Zhang,
Meng Yan,
Mengyang Liu,
Yue Ma,
Mengyang Liu,
Yaru Cao,
Guangling Huang,
Meng Yan,
Kai Zhang,
Kai Zhang,
Yue Ma,
Meng Yan,
Hoi Shan Chau,
Guangling Huang,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Kai Zhang,
Yuefei Ruan,
Paul K.S. Lam
Mengyang Liu,
Paul K.S. Lam
Kai Zhang,
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Kai Zhang,
Hoi Shan Chau,
Mengyang Liu,
Yaru Cao,
Yaru Cao,
Kai Zhang,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Paul K.S. Lam
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Yuefei Ruan,
Meng Yan,
Mengyang Liu,
Meng Yan,
Shaopeng Xu,
Kai Zhang,
Meng Yan,
Paul K.S. Lam
Paul K.S. Lam
Kai Zhang,
Paul K.S. Lam
Meng Yan,
Mengyang Liu,
Meng Yan,
Meng Yan,
Kai Zhang,
Qi Wang,
Paul K.S. Lam
Kai Zhang,
Paul K.S. Lam
Summary
Researchers estimated that the Pearl River Estuary delivers approximately 304 trillion microplastic particles (1,102 tons) annually into the northern South China Sea, finding that tidal effects significantly influence microplastic abundance and that rural areas on the western side pose underestimated environmental threats.
Study Type
Environmental
Estuaries are unique transition zones connecting terrestrial and coastal environments and are recognized as primary conveyors for land-derived plastics to open oceans. Riverine microplastics (MPs) have been commonly investigated using sequential sampling which might not effectively reflect the actual load. In this study, sampling at eight outlets was performed during a complete tidal cycle to estimate the MP flux to the Pearl River Estuarine (PRE) using a concurrent sampling strategy. The MP abundances ranged from 2.90 ± 0.57-5.9 ± 2.27 particles/L. A remarkable difference between tides in MP abundances suggests tidal effect should not be overlooked in assessment. The MP load through the eight outlets was estimated at 304 trillion particles or 1102 tons into the PRE annually. Additionally, similar potential ecological risk assessment among eight rivers implied that environmental threats posed by less urbanized and populated rural areas on the western side have been under-evaluating for decades.