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Environmental Sources
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Analysis of suspended microplastics in the Changjiang Estuary: Implications for riverine plastic load to the ocean
Water Research2019
302 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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Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Tao Wang,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Tao Wang,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Xiaohui Wang,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Tao Wang,
Pei Xu,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Daoji Li,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li
Shiye Zhao,
Tao Wang,
Shiye Zhao,
Lixin Zhu,
Shiye Zhao,
Pei Xu,
Pei Xu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Tao Wang,
Tao Wang,
Tao Wang,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Pei Xu,
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Pei Xu,
Pei Xu,
Shiye Zhao,
Shiye Zhao,
Tao Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Lei Gao,
Lei Gao,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Tao Wang,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Tao Wang,
Pei Xu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Pei Xu,
Lixin Zhu,
Tao Wang,
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li,
Tao Wang,
Pei Xu,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Pei Xu,
Pei Xu,
Daoji Li,
Pei Xu,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Xiaohui Wang,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Xiaohui Wang,
Daoji Li
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li,
Lei Gao,
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Tao Wang,
Tao Wang,
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li
Tao Wang,
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li,
Xiaohui Wang,
Xiaohui Wang,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Xiaohui Wang,
Daoji Li
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li,
Lixin Zhu,
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Lei Gao,
Daoji Li,
Xiaohui Wang,
Pei Xu,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Lei Gao,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Xiaohui Wang,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Shiye Zhao,
Daoji Li
Xiaohui Wang,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Xiaohui Wang,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Tao Wang,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li,
Lixin Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Shiye Zhao,
Daoji Li
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Lixin Zhu,
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li,
Daoji Li
Daoji Li
Summary
Suspended microplastics were measured in the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Estuary, one of the world's largest rivers, to estimate its total plastic load delivered to the East China Sea. The study found substantial and highly variable microplastic concentrations that, when scaled to river discharge, suggest the Yangtze contributes a significant fraction of total global riverine plastic input to the ocean.
Study Type
Environmental
The role of rivers as a major transport pathway for all sizes of plastic debris into the ocean is widely recognized. Global modelling studies ranked the Changjiang River as the largest contributor of plastic waste to the marine environment, but these estimates were based on insufficient empirical data. To better understand the role of rivers in delivering terrestrial plastic debris to the ocean, the spatial and temporal patterns of microplastics (MP) in the Changjiang Estuary (CE) and the East China Sea (ECS) were studied based on surface water samples in February, May, and July 2017. A total of 3225 MP (60-5000 μm) were identified by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. MP abundance in July was higher than in February and May due to higher river discharge. Density stratification in CE significantly influenced the surface MP abundances. A temporal accumulation zone within the river-sea interface for plastics was indicated by stations with apparently higher abundances in the river plume. Fibers were the most common MP (>80%) over three months. Small MP (<1000 μm) composed 75.0% of the total plastics on average. The average mass of MP was 0.000033 g/particle, which was two orders of magnitude lower than the empirical mass in literature. Without considering tidal effects, we estimate 16-20 trillion MP particles, weighing 537.6-905.9 tons, entered the sea through the surface water layer of the Changjiang River in 2017. These findings of this study provide reliable information on MP waste in a large river, which should be considered in further studies for estimating the riverine plastic loads.