Guo Qingyuan, Meng Qingqin, Cai Mingzhe, Luan Jiaxuan, Shen Xiaomei, Li Zhaoxia, Li Xuan, Liang Feng, Ding Cheng
Yancheng Institute of Technology, Jiangsu Province, Yancheng, 224051, China.
Yancheng Kangju Road Junior High School, Jiangsu Province, Yancheng, 224051, China.
Environ Monit Assess. 2025 Oct 18;197(11):1213. doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-14721-z.
Microplastic (MP) has been widely documented in aquatic environments; however, studies on MP distribution in aquaculture ponds remain limited. This study first evaluated MP ecological risks in aquaculture ponds along South Yellow Sea mudflat. The results showed MP concentrations of 32 ± 5 items/L in pond water and 253 ± 54 items/kg in sediment. MP loads varied significantly across pond types, with higher levels in crab ponds (38 ± 4 items/L, 314 ± 27 items/kg) and shrimp ponds (31 ± 3 items/L, 237 ± 22 items/kg) compared with fish ponds (27 ± 3 items/L, 209 ± 29 items/kg), indicating habitat-specific MP accumulation patterns. Morphological analysis revealed that fibrous MPs were predominant, accounting for 47.30 ± 18.18% of waterborne particles and 57.78 ± 16.19% of sedimentary particles. Size distribution analysis showed MPs in the 250 - 500 μm range were most common (41.94 ± 13.35% in water and 43.09 ± 12.03% in sediment). Color analysis revealed a high proportion of transparent particles, while polymer characterization identified polyethylene (PE) as the dominant type, accounting for 33.62% of MPs in water and 34.62% in sediment. Ecological risk assessment showed that the pollution load index (PLI) values for water (1.17) and sediment (1.24) exceeded 1, indicating MP pollution in aquaculture ponds. The polymer risk index (PRI) scores corresponded to risk level Ⅲ for water (457.94) and sediment (399.40), primarily driven by the high hazard score of polyvinyl chloride. The potential ecological risk index (PERI), calculated as PRI × PLI, further revealed dangerous risk levels in both water (626.50) and sediment (618.92). These results demonstrate that aquaculture ponds face significant MP pollution risks, with contamination dynamics shaped by pond types and polymer characteristics. Such insights are valuable for developing MP control measures, improving pond management strategies, and safeguarding aquatic food security in anthropogenically influenced aquaculture systems.
微塑料（MP）在水生环境中已有广泛记录；然而，关于微塑料在养殖池塘中分布的研究仍然有限。本研究首次评估了南黄海泥滩沿线养殖池塘中微塑料的生态风险。结果显示，池塘水中微塑料浓度为32±5个/升，沉积物中为253±54个/千克。微塑料负荷在不同类型池塘中差异显著，蟹塘（38±4个/升，314±27个/千克）和虾塘（31±3个/升，237±22个/千克）中的微塑料水平高于鱼塘（27±3个/升，209±29个/千克），表明存在特定生境的微塑料积累模式。形态分析表明，纤维状微塑料占主导地位，占水体中颗粒的47.30±18.18%，沉积物中颗粒的57.78±16.19%。尺寸分布分析显示，250 - 500微米范围内的微塑料最为常见（水体中占41.94±13.35%，沉积物中占43.09±12.03%）。颜色分析显示透明颗粒比例较高，而聚合物表征确定聚乙烯（PE）为主要类型，占水体中微塑料的33.62%，沉积物中微塑料的34.62%。生态风险评估表明，水（1.17）和沉积物（1.24）的污染负荷指数（PLI）值超过1，表明养殖池塘存在微塑料污染。聚合物风险指数（PRI）得分对应于水（457.94）和沉积物（399.40）的Ⅲ级风险水平，主要由聚氯乙烯的高危害得分驱动。以PRI×PLI计算的潜在生态风险指数（PERI）进一步显示水（626.50）和沉积物（618.92）均处于危险风险水平。这些结果表明，养殖池塘面临重大的微塑料污染风险，污染动态受池塘类型和聚合物特性影响。这些见解对于制定微塑料控制措施、改进池塘管理策略以及保障受人为影响的养殖系统中的水生食品安全具有重要价值。
