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Tributary inflows enhance the microplastic load in the estuary: A case from the Qiantang River
Summary
Researchers investigated microplastic abundance in the Qiantang River and its tributaries, finding a mean of 1183 particles per cubic meter with polyamide, polyester, and PET accounting for 77.4% of polymers. Tributary inputs increased the MPs flux from the river to Hangzhou Bay by 20-fold, with the total riverine discharge estimated at 2831 tons per year, underscoring the need for broader watershed-level plastic pollution management.
Microplastics (MPs) in the surface water of the Qiantang River and its tributaries were investigated in this study, to evaluate the contribution of riverine discharge on emerging pollution load in the Hangzhou Bay. The abundance of MPs (mean 1183 ± 269 particles/m) showed spatially and temporally heterogeneous in the surface water. Polyamide, polyester, and polyethylene teraphalate were the major components, accounting for 77.4% of all polymer types. Fiber was the most common shape, indicating the potential anthropogenic sources of MPs. The MPs flux from the Qiantang River to the Hangzhou Bay was estimated to be 2831 tons/year, implying the importance of riverine discharge in an estuarine bay. The inputs from the complicated tributaries system led to a 20-fold increase of MPs flux, and would significantly improve their budget of downstream and estuary, so we suggested the control and management on plastic pollution should be strengthened in all aspects.