Transport and Distribution Characteristics of Microplastics in the Surface Water of Guangzhou Section of the Pearl River
Global marine plastic pollution is becoming increasingly serious.Rivers are considered as a vital pathway for the transport of land-generated microplastics(MPs)to the ocean.The riverine MPs outflows from the Pearl River ranks among the top highest outflows in the world,and the contribution of Humen Estuary,which flows through the urban area of Guangzhou,is much higher than of other estuaries at the Pearl River Delta.In order to investigate the distribution of MP pollution in the surface water of the Pearl River tributaries in Guangzhou section and clarify its influencing factors,the present study conducted a comprehensive analysis on MPs in the surface water in 18 typical sampling sites in Guangzhou section of the Pearl River(including tributaries and estuaries).The results showed that the abundances of MPs were 0.123-25.2 particles/m3.The main types of MPs were polyethylene,polypropylene,polystyrene,and fiber,which accounted for a much higher proportion than other types of MPs.The Pearl River tributaries in Guangzhou section receives domestic,industrial,and other wastewater discharges from the downtown of Guangzhou and the surrounding cities.Fibers are mainly from the washing of textiles.Polyethylene and Polypropylene are the main composition of plastic products commonly used in human daily life.Polystyrene and polypropylene are mostly used in various plastic products(such as plastic toys and foam boxes).In the four types of monitoring sites/sections,the abundances of MPs in the inter-city entry section and regular monitoring section were much higher than those in the background points and the estuaries.The abundance of MPs in the tributaries flowing through an area with high population density and urbanization level was higher than those in other tributaries.The estuaries had the lowest MPs abundances.Obviously,human activities are the most important factors affecting the distribution of MPs in different tributaries.
microplasticsthe Pearl Riversurface waterestuarydistribution
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万方数据
