Laboratory of Marine Chemistry and Environmental Monitoring Technology, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China.
Laboratory of Marine Chemistry and Environmental Monitoring Technology, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China; College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Sep;146:215-224. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.06.031. Epub 2019 Jun 20.
Microplastics (MPs) contamination has been recognized as one of major threats to coastal marine environments. Although studies evidenced severe MPs contaminations to the Pacific Ocean, environmental implications of MPs concentrations, distributions, and characteristics have not been evaluated in sufficient detail. Here, we report on the distribution, abundance, and characteristics of MPs at the surface of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean, from which environmental implications are assessed. A manta trawl with a mesh size of ~330 μm and a rectangular net opening of 0.45 × 1 m was used to collect MPs samples on May 11-June 3, 2018. The MPs samples were sequentially isolated, digested, filtered, and characterized using an optical microscope, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate the heterogeneity in abundance, shapes, color, and sizes of MPs. The study provides strong environmental implications such as sources, environmental degradation, residence time, transportation routes, and biological interactions.
微塑料（MPs）污染已被认为是对沿海海洋环境的主要威胁之一。尽管研究表明太平洋受到了严重的 MPs 污染，但 MPs 浓度、分布和特性对环境的影响尚未得到充分详细的评估。在这里，我们报告了西北太平洋海面的 MPs 分布、丰度和特征，并对其环境影响进行了评估。2018 年 5 月 11 日至 6 月 3 日，使用网孔尺寸约为 330μm、矩形网孔开口为 0.45×1m 的翼型拖网收集 MPs 样品。使用光学显微镜、微拉曼光谱和扫描电子显微镜对 MPs 样品进行了顺序分离、消化、过滤和特征分析。结果表明 MPs 在丰度、形状、颜色和尺寸上存在异质性。该研究提供了有关 MPs 的来源、环境降解、停留时间、运输路线和生物相互作用等方面的重要环境影响。
