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Microplastics in the Coral Reef Systems from Xisha Islands of South China Sea
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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.
The impacts of microplastics on coral reefs are gaining attention due to findings that microplastics affect coral health. This work investigated the distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the seawater, fish, and corals in 3 atolls from the Xisha Islands of South China Sea. In the seawater samples, microplastics were detected in the outer reef slopes, reef flats, and lagoons with abundances ranging from 0.2 to 11.2, 1.0 to 12.2, and 1.0 to 45.2 items L-1, respectively. Microplastic abundance was 0-12.0 items individual-1 (0-4.7 items g-1) in fish and 1.0-44.0 items individual-1(0.02-1.3 items g-1) in coral. The predominant shape and polymer of microplastics in seawater, fish, and coral were fibrous rayon and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Microplastic sizes primarily ranged from 20-330 μm in both the seawater and fish, while there were relatively more 1-5 mm microplastics in the corals. The shape, size, color, and polymer type distribution patterns of microplastics in seawater more closely resembled those in fish gills than those in fish gastrointestinal tracts or coral samples. This study shows that microplastics are abundant in these coral reef systems and they are captured by fish or "trapped" by corals.
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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.
Microplastic contamination in coral reef fishes and its potential risks in the remote Xisha areas of the South China Sea
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Coral reef fish in remote ocean regions were found to contain microplastics across multiple species and trophic levels, with abundance increasing in higher-trophic species suggesting biomagnification. The study provides baseline data from understudied remote reef ecosystems and frames microplastic ingestion as a threat to reef fish biodiversity.
Species-specific microplastic enrichment characteristics of scleractinian corals from reef environment: Insights from an in-situ study at the Xisha Islands
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Microplastics were detected in seawater, sediment, and three scleractinian coral species at five atolls in the Xisha Islands, with average seawater concentrations of 9.5 particles per liter and species-specific differences in microplastic enrichment patterns observed.
Microplastic pollution in tropical coral reef ecosystems from the coastal South China Sea and their impacts on corals in situ
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Researchers studied microplastic contamination in coral reef ecosystems off southern China, finding plastic particles in seawater, sediment, corals, shellfish, and fish. Different coral species absorbed microplastics at different rates, with smaller particles penetrating deeper into coral tissue. Since coral reefs support fisheries and coastal communities, this contamination could affect both marine ecosystems and the seafood that people eat.
The spatial distribution of microplastic in the sands of a coral reef island in the South China Sea: Comparisons of the fringing reef and atoll
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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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