Microplastic load of benthic fauna in Jiaozhou Bay, China. (1st March 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Kangning; Zheng, Shan; Liang, Junhua; Zhao, Yongfang; Li, Qingjie; Zhu, Mingliang; Dai, Sheng; Sun, Xiaoxia
• Is Part Of: Environmental pollution. Volume 320(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-03-01
• Subjects: Microplastics -- Benthos -- Load -- Storage; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Effets physiologiques -- Périodiques; Pollution; Pollution -- Environmental aspects; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.73
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121073
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-7491

Abstract

Abstract: The prevalence of microplastic pollution in the ocean has caused widespread concern. Many studies have focused on the occurrence of microplastics in the marine environment and organisms, but the fate of microplastics in the ocean is still unclear, and the factors affecting the distribution of microplastics have not yet been consistently concluded. The aims of this study were to estimate the load of microplastics in benthic organisms as a temporary storage and to analyze the factors affecting microplastic ingestion by benthic organisms. For the purpose of this study, the benthic organisms in Jiaozhou Bay, China, were collected quarterly and were divided into the following six groups: polychaetes, mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms, fish, and others. We concluded that the microplastic abundance in the benthos in Jiaozhou Bay was 1.00 ± 0.11 items/ind. (15.5 ± 3.5 items/g). The total load of microplastics in the benthic fauna in the bay with an area of 374 km 2 was estimated to be 36.4 kg. On an individual basis, the fish contained significantly more microplastics than the other taxa. Furthermore, the characteristics of the microplastics in the benthic organisms were mainly fibrous, black, polyethylene, and <500 μm in size. In addition, the microplastic ingestion by benthic organisms was regulated by multiple factors, including biological characteristics and the environment. The masses of the organisms, the ambient seawater and sediment, and the spatial variations all influenced the microplastic ingestion by the organisms. The results of this study demonstrate that benthic organisms are an important storage for microplastics as they transferred through the ocean, and they provide an unbiased comparison of microplastic pollution among multiple organisms and the relevant pollution factors. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Benthic taxon-based microplastic pollution was studied. Benthos is a storage for microplastics, which cannot be overlooked. The benthos microplastic load in a 374 km 2 bay area was estimated to be 36.4 kg. Microplastic abundance in benthos was inverse to population size.