Shabaka Soha, Moawad Madelyn N, Ibrahim Mohamed I A, El-Sayed Abeer A M, Ghobashy Mohamed M, Hamouda Amr Z, El-Alfy Muhammad A, Darwish Dina H, Youssef Nabiha Abd Elhameed
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, NIOF, Egypt.
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, NIOF, Egypt; Hiroshima Synchrotron Radiation Center, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Dec 15;852:158446. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158446. Epub 2022 Sep 1.
Recent research is directed toward studying plastic pollution in rivers, and estuaries due to the importance of freshwater bodies in all aspects of life. The river deltas and estuaries are interesting for studying the flux of plastics into the oceans. The Nile River has been identified as a hot spot of plastic litter flux in the eastern Mediterranean basin. In addition, it was nicknamed "Plastic Nile", yet this major river is largely unexplored with a lack of field measurements and adequate surveys. The current study was based on bridging this scientific gap. Three trips were conducted, covering 30 km in the Rosetta branch and 23 km in the Damietta branch, during the high water level in summer 2021, and 10 km off the inlet of Lake Burullus, in spring 2021. Microplastics in surface water ranged from 761 ± 319 to 1718 ± 1008 MPs/m, and from 167 ± 137 to 1630 ± 1303 MPs/kg of dry sediments. Land use/ land cover mapping using Sentinel-2 images showed several sources of pollution that contribute to plastic contamination in the study area. Thermal analysis indicated seven plastic polymers; including, PE, PP, PET, PEVA, and PTFE, using discarded plastic products as reference materials. Microplastics were composed of colored and glossy fragments of sizes <500 μm, originating from land-based sources. Pollution load, polymer risk assessment, and ecological risk indices were calculated. Based on field observations macro-plastics were retained within the extensive network of infrastructure and dam systems. 80-106 billion MPs/year were estimated to flux from the Nile estuaries into the Mediterranean Sea. The current situation urges the development of binding plans to reduce plastic waste in the Nile Delta, as well as setting environmental monitoring points along the Deltaic coast.
由于淡水水体在生活的各个方面都很重要，近期的研究致力于河流和河口的塑料污染研究。河流三角洲和河口对于研究塑料流入海洋的通量很有意义。尼罗河已被确定为东地中海盆地塑料垃圾通量的热点地区。此外，它还被昵称为“塑料尼罗河”，然而这条主要河流在很大程度上尚未得到充分探索，缺乏实地测量和充分的调查。当前的研究旨在弥合这一科学差距。在2021年夏季水位较高时，进行了三次行程，覆盖罗塞塔支流30公里和达米埃塔支流23公里，以及在2021年春季在布鲁卢斯湖入口外10公里处进行了调查。地表水中的微塑料含量在761±319至1718±1008个微塑料/立方米之间，干沉积物中的微塑料含量在167±137至1630±1303个微塑料/千克之间。利用哨兵2号图像进行的土地利用/土地覆盖测绘显示了导致研究区域塑料污染的几个污染源。热分析表明有七种塑料聚合物，包括聚乙烯、聚丙烯、聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯、聚乙烯-醋酸乙烯酯和聚四氟乙烯，使用废弃塑料制品作为参考材料。微塑料由尺寸小于500微米的彩色和有光泽的碎片组成，源自陆地来源。计算了污染负荷、聚合物风险评估和生态风险指数。根据实地观察，宏观塑料被截留在广泛的基础设施和大坝系统网络内。估计每年有800亿至1060亿个微塑料从尼罗河河口流入地中海。当前的形势促使制定具有约束力的计划，以减少尼罗河三角洲的塑料垃圾，并在三角洲海岸设置环境监测点。
