Unveiling microplastic distribution and interactions in the benthic layer of the Yangtze River Estuary and East China Sea  

作　　者：Xinyu Ge Feng Xu Bo Li Lili Liu Xiao Lu Lijuan Wang Yunxiao Zhang Jiangpeng Li Jiawei Li Yuanyuan Tang 

机构地区：[1]School of Environmental Science and Engineering,College of Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China [2]State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process,School of Resource and Environmental Engineering,East China University of Science and Technology,Shanghai,200237,China [3]School of Marine Science and Technology,Zhejiang Ocean University,Zhoushan,316004,China

出　　处：《Environmental Science and Ecotechnology》2024年第4期114-122,共9页环境科学与生态技术（英文）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41977329,No.41771513,No.42049903,No.42277403);the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(No.2021B1515020041)for financial support;We thank the crews of the ZheyukeⅡfor their hard work at sea and the scientists who joined the cruise to help in data collection.

摘　　要：Microplastics(MPs),recognized as an emerging global environmental concern,have been extensively detected worldwide,with specific attention directed towards the Yangtze River Estuary(YRE)and East China Sea(ECS)regions.Despite their critical research significance,there remains a knowledge gap concerning the distribution of MPs in the benthic layer within this area,particularly regarding interactions governing their occurrence.Here we illuminate the distribution of MPs within the benthic layer and unravel the intricate interplay between bottom water and sediment in the YRE and ECS.We find that MPs are notably more abundant in bottom water,ranging from 8 to 175 times higher than in surface water.These MPs predominantly consist of polyester fibers,exhibit a size range between 0.5 and 5.0 mm,and display distinct coloration.Co-occurrence network analysis and Principal Coordinate Analysis confirm a robust correlation between MPs in bottom water and sediment,signifying the pivotal role of bottom water in mediating the distribution and transportation of MPs within the benthic layer.Furthermore,a positive correlation between MPs in sediment and bottom water turbidity underscores the impact of surface sediment resuspension and upwelling on MPs distribution.This study clarifies the intricate interactions within the benthic layer and highlights the crucial role of bottom water as a mediator in the vertical distribution of MPs,advancing our understanding of the“source-to-sink”transport processes governing MPs within water-sediment systems.

关 键 词：Microplastics Bottom water SEDIMENT DISTRIBUTION Correlation analysis 

分 类 号：X55[环境科学与工程—环境工程]