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Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence.
Environmental Sources
Marine & Wildlife
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Microplastic pollution around remote uninhabited coral reefs of Nansha Islands, South China Sea
The Science of The Total Environment2020
125 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 45
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lei Huang,
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Lang Lin,
Lei Huang,
Lei Huang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Fei Tan,
Zhou Fang,
Lang Lin,
Xiyang Zhang,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Hongqiang Yang,
Hengxiang Li,
Xiyang Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Hongqiang Yang,
Hengxiang Li,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Guan Wang,
Qi Shi,
Lei Huang,
Lang Lin,
Lei Huang,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Zhou Fang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Huilong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Huilong Xu,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Xiyang Zhang,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Xiyang Zhang,
Xiyang Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Qi Shi,
Lang Lin,
Lang Lin,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Hengxiang Li,
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiyang Zhang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Guan Wang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Lang Lin,
Shengnan Zhou,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Shengnan Zhou,
Lei Huang,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Hengxiang Li,
Xiang‐Rong Xu
Summary
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.