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Human activities affect the multidecadal microplastic deposition records in a subtropical urban lake, China
The Science of The Total Environment2022
54 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 55
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Bowen Li,
Bowen Li,
Bowen Li,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Bo Li,
Jinping Peng,
Bowen Li,
Bowen Li,
Bowen Li,
Jinping Peng,
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Qunpo Jia,
Bowen Li,
Bowen Li,
Qunpo Jia,
Hang Wan,
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Hang Wan,
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Bowen Li,
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Qunpo Jia,
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Qunpo Jia,
Qunpo Jia,
Qunpo Jia,
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Hang Wan,
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Hang Wan,
Jinping Peng,
Bin Hong,
Jinping Peng,
Bin Hong,
Qunpo Jia,
Qunpo Jia,
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Bowen Li,
Yanpeng Cai,
Bowen Li,
Bowen Li,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Bowen Li,
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Yanpeng Cai,
Bin Hong,
Bin Hong,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Bowen Li,
Bo Li,
Hang Wan,
Hang Wan,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Bin Hong,
Bin Hong,
Bowen Li,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Bowen Li,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Qunpo Jia,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Bowen Li,
Bowen Li,
Qunpo Jia,
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang
Qunpo Jia,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Qunpo Jia,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Yanpeng Cai,
Zhifeng Yang
Yongyang Wang,
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Yuan Xiao,
Yanpeng Cai,
Yuan Xiao,
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Yuan Xiao,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Yanpeng Cai,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Yongyang Wang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Jinping Peng,
Yanpeng Cai,
Zhifeng Yang
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Jinping Peng,
Yanpeng Cai,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang
Yanpeng Cai,
Yanpeng Cai,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Pan Zhang,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Bin Hong,
Yanpeng Cai,
Jinping Peng,
Bowen Li,
Bin Hong,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang,
Zhifeng Yang
Zhifeng Yang
Summary
Researchers analyzed sediment cores from a subtropical urban lake in China to reconstruct 64 years of microplastic deposition history. They found that microplastic concentrations in the sediment increased significantly over the decades, correlating closely with urbanization, population growth, and economic development. The study provides evidence that human activities are the primary driver of long-term microplastic accumulation in freshwater lake environments.
Microplastic deposition in subtropical lakes and the influences of human activities remain to be deeply and fully understood. Owing to the intensification of urban construction and population growth, urban lakes serving as significant freshwater resources for sustainable development of the regional economy are becoming degraded, especially due to microplastic pollution. To understand the deposition characteristics of microplastics in lake sediments from the China's subtropical city, six sediment core samples were collected from Xinghu Lake of Guangdong Province. Here, we analyzed the morphological characteristics of microplastics from the perspective of microstructure, and investigated the temporal and spatial distribution patterns of microplastics on the macroscopic scale. The deposition characteristics of microplastics in the past 64 years and the influence of socio-economic factors on the accumulation of microplastics were further clarified through the isotope composition of cesium-137 and lead-210 in the subtropical urban area with intense human activities. The results showed that the microplastic concentration of sediment cores in Xinghu Lake was 523 ± 140 particles/kg. The average sizes of microplastics in the five sub-lakes (i.e., Bohai, Zhongxin, Li, Qinglian, and Xiannü Lakes) of Xinghu Lake were 668, 642, 727, 708 and 646 μm, respectively. There were 25 polymers in sediment cores of Xinghu Lake. Rayon, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene-polyethylene copolymer were the main types, and the microplastics have the aging phenomenon or mechanical abrasion. The average deposition rates of sediment and microplastics were 0.6 cm/a and 106 particles/(kg·a) in Xinghu Lake, respectively. Meanwhile, the urban expansion and economic growth, as indicated by the increase in the urban area, population and gross domestic product, all played an essential role in the accelerated accumulation of microplastics in sediment cores of Xinghu Lake.