Comparisons of microplastic pollution between mudflats and sandy beaches in Hong Kong,

Environmental Pollution, Volume 236, May 2018, Pages 208-217, ISSN 0269-7491,

Abstract:
Most of the previous studies of microplastic pollution on coastal
habitats focused on high energy beaches although low energy areas such
as mudflats are supposed to retain more microplastics, not to mention
that mudflats are biologically more diverse.
We quantified andcharacterized microplastics from 10 mudflats and 10 sandy beaches in
Hong Kong spanning from the eastern to western waters. Sediment samples
were collected at 1.0 m and 1.5 m above chart datum (CD) and at the
strandline. Abundance of microplastics ranged between 0.58 and 2116
items kg−1 sediment with that on mudflats being ten times more than on
beaches. Polyethylene (46.9%) was the most abundant and followed by
polypropylene (13.8%) and polyethylene terephthalate (13.5%).
Expanded polystyrene was the most abundant in the strandline samples but not at
1.0 m and 1.5 m above CD.

Although previous studies have concluded that the input from Pearl River is a major source
of microplastics on HongKong shores, this study has demonstrated that the contribution of local pollution
sources such as discharge from sewage treatment plants to microplastic pollution should not be neglected.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1folzxJOL2Iln0t3mliGIM6k0ZsWa08Nb
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.031.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117345451)

The post Comparisons of microplastic pollution between mudflats and sandy beaches in Hong Kong appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..

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

Science of The Total Environment,
Volumes 628–629,
2018,
Pages 731-739,
ISSN 0048-9697,

Abstract:

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/m3, 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.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JB2gASkYoSSJA_mzGW2_rTeJI019julo

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.338.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718303851)

The post Spatio-temporal comparison of neustonic microplastic density in Hong Kong waters under the influence of the Pearl River Estuary appeared first on One Earth - One Ocean e. V..