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Lost but can't be neglected: Huge quantities of small microplastics hide in the South China Sea
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Using pumping sampling methods sensitive to small particles, researchers found far higher microplastic abundances in the South China Sea than trawl net surveys had indicated, with small particles (under 0.3 mm) making up the dominant fraction by count. The results reveal a massive "hidden" pool of small microplastics in a heavily populated and trafficked sea, underscoring the limitations of standard net-based monitoring.
Large quantities of microplastics with small particle sizes were found in the South China Sea (SCS). The abundances of microplastics in seawater were 0.045±0.093and 2569±1770particles/m according to the bongo net and pumping sampling methods, respectively. Smaller-size fractions (size<0.3mm) contributed 92% of the number of microplastics to the total load. Continental slope is the largest reservoir of microplastics with an inventory of 295tons. 21 polymer types were found in the samples using the micro Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), among which alkyds (22.5%) and polycaprolactone (PCL) (20.9%) accounted for almost half of the total polymer content. Lighter plastics would not only concentrate upon the coastal area, being more likely to drift further into open seas with ocean currents. The distribution characteristics showed that it was mainly controlled by terrestrial input of the Pearl River. This study, as the first report from SCS on microplastics in water for its distribution and influence factors, provided impetus for further research on the transportation fate and the behavior of this emerging pollutant from coastal zone to the open oceans.
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Researchers used a large-volume in-situ filtration device to sample microplastics throughout the water column of the northwestern South China Sea, including deep waters. They found concentrations of 0.2–1.5 items/m³ (average 0.56/m³), dominated by PP and PET fragments, with no significant differences in abundance or polymer type across depths.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.