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Microplastic pollution around remote uninhabited coral reefs of Nansha Islands, South China Sea
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Microplastics were detected in surface waters surrounding remote uninhabited coral reefs in the South China Sea's Nansha Islands, with polypropylene and polyethylene fibers from fishing gear likely the dominant source. Although concentrations were relatively low compared to coastal areas, the authors stress that even remote reef ecosystems are not protected from plastic contamination.
Microplastic (MP) pollution is a growing environmental problem in the global oceans. However, there is relatively little evidence of the extent of MP pollution around remote islands, such as coral reefs, in the open ocean. In this study, we conducted a large-scale investigation of MP pollution in the surface waters around the remote uninhabited coral reefs of Nansha Islands in South China Sea. Microplastics were widespread in the surface waters with an average abundance of 0.0556 ± 0.0355 items/m, although this varied among the coral reefs. The MPs were predominantly composed of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), and > 70% of them were <3 mm in size. Fragments and fibers comprised the most common MP types. The similarity between macro plastic and MP compositions provided evidence for the tracing of MP sources in the study area. The main pollutants (transparent PP fibers and PE fibers) around these remote coral reefs may originate from fishing gear abrasions. The plastic waste released from nearby residential islands and high-intensity fishing activities around Nansha Islands likely represented important local sources. Overall, the abundance of MPs found in the surface waters surrounding these remote coral reefs in the South China Sea was relatively low; however, these levels of MP pollution should not be disregarded given the importance of coral reef ecosystems.
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Researchers surveyed microplastic pollution in water and fish around Nanxun Reef in the South China Sea and found an average concentration of 1,733 particles per cubic meter in surface water and about 3 items per fish. Fibers dominated in fish samples while blue microbeads were most common in the water. The study suggests that fishery activities and domestic sewage are the primary sources of microplastic contamination in this remote reef system.
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Researchers surveyed microplastic distribution in seawater, fish, and corals across three atolls in the Xisha Islands of the South China Sea. They found microplastics present in all sample types, with lagoons showing the highest water concentrations and fibrous rayon and polyethylene being the dominant polymer types. The findings indicate that even relatively remote coral reef systems are contaminated with microplastics, which may threaten reef health.
Microplastics in remote coral reef environments of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea: Source, accumulation and potential risk
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Scientists mapped microplastic contamination across 13 islands in the remote Xisha Islands of the South China Sea and found an average of 682 particles per kilogram of sediment. The study identified local sewage, fishing waste, and industrial runoff from nearby countries as the main sources. This shows that even remote coral reef ecosystems far from population centers are not safe from microplastic pollution.
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Microplastic abundance in coral reef island sands of the South China Sea was measured at fringing reef sites (90–530 items/kg) and atoll sites (60–610 items/kg), with the lower-human-activity Xisha Islands atoll showing higher concentrations attributed to oceanic current accumulation. The study reveals that even remote coral reef ecosystems are contaminated with microplastics and that oceanographic factors can outweigh local human activity.
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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.
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