Pollution characteristics and ecological risk of microplastic in sediments of Liaodong Bay from the northern Bohai Sea in China. (February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ye, Yuheng; Zhang, Anguo; Teng, Jia; Yang, Xiaolong; Yuan, Xiutang; Wang, Qing; Zhao, Jianmin; Zhang, Bin; Zhang, Tianzhe; Chen, Xuejiao; Guan, Tongwei; Ma, Xindong
• Is Part Of: Marine pollution bulletin. Volume 187(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-02
• Subjects: Microplastics -- Sediments -- Estuary -- Spatiotemporal distribution -- Risk assessment; Marine pollution -- Periodicals; Marine Biology -- Periodicals; Water Pollution -- Periodicals; Mer -- Pollution -- Périodiques; Publications périodiques; Pollution des mers; Lutte antipollution; Electronic journals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114505
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-326X

Abstract

Abstract: Microplastics (MPs) are widely distributed in marine environments. The pollution characteristics and risk assessment of MPs in estuarine sediments are still insufficient. In this study, the MPs pollution characteristics in surface sediments of the Liao Estuary and Daliao Estuary were investigated. The characteristics of MPs in sediments were determined by stereo microscopy and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that the average MPs abundance ranged from 32.33 to 49.91 items·kg −1 d.w. The MPs were mainly composed of 500–2000 μm black and blue fibers. Five polymer types were identified, including rayon (RA) (87.46 %), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (6.81 %), polyamide (PA) (2.94 %), polypropylene (PP) (2.17 %) and polyethylene (PE) (0.62 %). The pollution load index (PLI) risk assessment showed that all sampling sites were at Hazard Level I. Our results can provide useful information for assessing the environmental risks of MPs in coastal areas of China. Graphical abstract: Unlabelled Image Highlights: Microplastics were detected in all sampling sites in Liaodong Bay. Microplastics found were mostly black Rayon fibers of 1000–2000 μm. Spatial distribution of microplastics is indistinctive in Liaodong Bay. PLI showed that the area was at Hazard Level I.