Lost but can’t be neglected: Huge quantities of small microplastics hide in the South China Sea,

Science of The Total Environment, Volume 633, 15
August 2018, Pages 1206-1216, ISSN 0048-9697,

Abstract:

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 ± 1770 particles/m3 according to the
bongo net and pumping sampling methods, respectively. Smaller-size
fractions (size < 0.3 mm) contributed 92% of the number of microplastics
to the total load. Continental slope is the largest reservoir of
microplastics with an inventory of 295 tons. 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.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Optkv-LRAILdqPJ48-dE9f_mHc4TXMhL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.197.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718309562)

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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)

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