Ni Zhixin, Chen Xin, Zhang Minxia, Lu Chuqian, Ji Xiao, Yuan Lei, Chen Changshu, Chen Zhiqiang, Ye Jianping, Yang Jiayu
South China Sea Ecological Center of Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Nansha Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, & Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Survey Technology and Application of MNR, Guangzhou, 510300, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou, 510301, China.
South China Sea Ecological Center of Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Nansha Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, & Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Survey Technology and Application of MNR, Guangzhou, 510300, China.
Mar Environ Res. 2025 Feb;204:106947. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.106947. Epub 2025 Jan 3.
Microplastic pollution in marine environments has become a global concern due to its potential ecological risks. However, long-term data on microplastic distribution are scare, hindering the assessment of the ecological threats. This study monitored microplastics pollution in the surface water of the northern South China Sea from 2019 to 2023. The average abundance of microplastics exhibited an increasing trend from 2019 to 2021 and a subsequent decrease from 2021 to 2023 in both the Pearl River Estuary and Zhanjiang offshore waters. Conversely, a steady annual decrease was observed in the surface waters of Beibu Gulf from 2020 to 2023. The spatial variability of microplastic hotspot across different years and regions. Microplastics predominantly ranged from 1 to 2 mm in size, with fragments and fibers being the most common shapes and transparent and white colors being the most prevalent. The primary chemical components of microplastics were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). No significant inter-annual differences were observed in the physicochemical characteristics of microplastics. The pollution load index (PLI) indicated medium to low levels of microplastic pollution, with the potential ecological risk index (PERI) suggesting a low level of ecological risk, implying a minimal threat to the marine ecosystem. This study first revealed the annual variations in microplastic pollution and their potential ecological risks in the northern South China Sea, providing crucial data support for the future management and control of marine microplastic pollution.
由于其潜在的生态风险，海洋环境中的微塑料污染已成为全球关注的问题。然而，关于微塑料分布的长期数据匮乏，这阻碍了对生态威胁的评估。本研究监测了2019年至2023年南海北部表层水中的微塑料污染情况。在珠江口和湛江近岸水域，微塑料的平均丰度在2019年至2021年呈上升趋势，随后在2021年至2023年呈下降趋势。相反，2020年至2023年北部湾表层水的微塑料丰度呈逐年稳定下降趋势。不同年份和区域的微塑料热点存在空间变异性。微塑料的大小主要在1至2毫米之间，碎片和纤维是最常见的形状，透明和白色是最普遍的颜色。微塑料的主要化学成分是聚乙烯（PE）聚丙烯（PP）和聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯（PET）。微塑料的物理化学特征没有显著的年际差异。污染负荷指数（PLI）表明微塑料污染处于中低水平，潜在生态风险指数（PERI）表明生态风险较低，这意味着对海洋生态系统的威胁最小。本研究首次揭示了南海北部微塑料污染的年际变化及其潜在生态风险，为未来海洋微塑料污染的管理和控制提供了关键数据支持。
