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Microplastic pollution in the surface seawater in Zhongsha Atoll, South China Sea
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The first comprehensive survey of microplastics in Zhongsha Atoll in the South China Sea documented the occurrence and distribution of plastic particles in surface seawater across temporal and spatial scales. The study extends microplastic monitoring to a remote atoll environment and identifies ocean current transport as the main driver of plastic accumulation at this distant location.
The prevalence of microplastics in the marine environment has attracted extensive attention. So far, no information is known regarding the temporal and spatial variations of microplastics in Zhongsha Atoll. This study, for the first time, comprehensively investigated the occurrence and distribution of microplastics in the surface seawater in Zhongsha Atoll based on two ocean cruises. The abundances of microplastics measured in the surface seawater of Zhongsha Atoll were in the ranges of not detected (ND) to 67 items/m, and ND to 160 items/m in 2019 and 2020, respectively. All microplastics detected in Zhongsha Atoll were fibers, most of which were transparent and less than 2 mm. Polyethylene terephthalate was the dominating composition of microplastics. These results suggested that sewage, surface runoff, atmospheric deposition by neighboring land, and fishing activities may be the primary pollution sources. This study provides critical information on microplastic pollution in Zhongsha Atoll for the first time, calling for more research in the management of marine plastic debris in the future.
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