State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Water Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Guangzhou 510535, China.
Institute of Coastal Environmental Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sanya Oceanographic Institution, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Sep 1;889:164173. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164173. Epub 2023 May 16.
Microplastic (MP) pollution is a serious global environmental problem, particularly in marine ecosystems. However, the pollution patterns of MPs in the ocean and atmosphere, particularly the sea-air interrelationship, remain unclear. Therefore, the abundance, distribution patterns, and sources of MPs in the seawater and atmosphere of the South China Sea (SCS) were comparatively investigated. The results showed that MPs were prevalent in the SCS with an average abundance of 103.4 ± 98.3 items/m in the seawater and 4.62 ± 3.60 items/100 m in the atmosphere. The spatial analysis indicated that the pollution patterns of seawater MPs were mainly determined by land-based discharge and sea surface currents, whereas atmospheric MPs were predominantly determined by air parcel trajectory and wind conditions. The highest MP abundance of 490 items/m in seawater was found at a station near Vietnam with current vortices. However, the highest MP abundance of 14.6 items/100 m in the atmosphere was found in air parcels with low-speed southerly winds from Malaysia. Similar MP compositions (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and polyethylene) were observed in the two environmental compartments. Furthermore, similar MP characteristics (e.g., shape, color, and size) in the seawater and atmosphere of the same region suggested a close relationship between the MPs in the two compartments. For this purpose, cluster analysis and calculation of the MP diversity integrated index were performed. The results showed an obvious dispersion between the two compartment clusters and a higher diversity integrated index of MPs in seawater than in the atmosphere, thus implying higher compositional diversity and more complex sources of MPs in seawater relative to the atmosphere. These findings deepen our understanding of MP fate and patterns in the semi-enclosed marginal sea environment and highlight the potential interrelationship of MPs in the air-sea system.
微塑料 (MP) 污染是一个严重的全球性环境问题，尤其是在海洋生态系统中。然而，海洋和大气中的 MP 污染模式，特别是海洋-大气相互关系，仍然不清楚。因此，本研究比较调查了南海（SCS）海水和大气中 MPs 的丰度、分布模式和来源。结果表明，SCS 中存在丰富的 MPs，海水中的平均丰度为 103.4 ± 98.3 个/ m，大气中的平均丰度为 4.62 ± 3.60 个/ 100 m。空间分析表明，海水 MPs 的污染模式主要由陆源排放和海面流决定，而大气 MPs 主要由气团轨迹和风向条件决定。在一个有海流涡旋的越南附近站点，发现了最高的海水 MP 丰度为 490 个/ m。然而，在一个来自马来西亚的低速南风的气团中，发现了最高的大气 MP 丰度为 14.6 个/ 100 m。在两个环境介质中观察到相似的 MP 组成（例如，聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯、聚苯乙烯和聚乙烯）。此外，同一地区海水和大气中相似的 MP 特征（例如，形状、颜色和大小）表明两个介质中 MPs 之间存在密切关系。为此，进行了聚类分析和 MPs 多样性综合指数的计算。结果表明，两个介质簇之间存在明显的分散，海水中的 MPs 多样性综合指数高于大气，这意味着海水中 MPs 的组成多样性更高，来源更复杂。这些发现加深了我们对半封闭边缘海环境中 MP 命运和模式的理解，并强调了海洋-大气系统中 MPs 潜在的相互关系。
