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Spatio-temporal comparison of neustonic microplastic density in Hong Kong waters under the influence of the Pearl River Estuary

The Science of The Total Environment 2018 160 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 45 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Pui Kwan Cheung, Lincoln Fok Pui Kwan Cheung, Lincoln Fok Pui Kwan Cheung, Pui Kwan Cheung, Lincoln Fok Pui Kwan Cheung, Lincoln Fok Lewis T.O. Cheung, Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Pui Kwan Cheung, Pui Kwan Cheung, Pui Kwan Cheung, Pui Kwan Cheung, Pui Lam Hung, Lewis T.O. Cheung, Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Pui Lam Hung, Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lewis T.O. Cheung, Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok Lincoln Fok

Summary

Spatial and temporal surveys of microplastic density in Hong Kong surface waters found elevated concentrations near the Pearl River Estuary and seasonal variation linked to river discharge. The study provides empirical evidence that river outflow from China's Pearl River is a significant driver of coastal microplastic distribution in Hong Kong waters.

Study Type Environmental

Rivers are recognised as an important source of plastic debris in the open sea. The Pearl River in China is estimated to transport 0.1milliontonnes of plastic waste to the open sea annually. However, no empirical study has been conducted to assess the plastic contamination levels in the Pearl River Estuary. Hong Kong is situated in the east of the Pearl River Estuary; its western waters are strongly influenced by river discharge, whereas the eastern waters are unaffected by the freshwater plume. In this study, we quantified the neustonic plastic debris density in the western and eastern waters of Hong Kong. The mean microplastic (0.355-4.749mm) and large plastic debris (≥4.75mm) densities in the western side were 3.627 and 0.758n/m, respectively. Seasonal comparisons indicated that both size classes of plastic debris were significantly more abundant by number in the rainy season than the dry season (p<0.001). However, the influence of rivers on plastic density at the sea surface may be highly restricted to the estuarine delta, as no significant spatial difference was found between the western and eastern waters.

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