AUTHOR=Zhu Zuhao , Wei Huihua , Huang Wei , Wu Xingxu , Guan Yao , Zhang Qiufeng 

TITLE=Occurrence of Microplastic Pollution in the Beibu Gulf, the Northern South China Sea

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2021

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.821008

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2021.821008

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=In this study, microplastics were sampled and analyzed from surface water and sediment samples during July to August in 2020, in the Beibu Gulf (the northern of South China Sea), a gulf with intensive fishery activities while the economy is less developed, compared to other coastal areas of China. The abundances of microplastics in seawater and sediment in Beibu Gulf were 0.67 items/m3 and 4.33 items/kg dry weight, respectively. In seawater the fragments contributed the most as 92.38%, and polystyrene (PS) was the dominant polymer (53.23%). In sediment the most abundant microplastics were fibre (82.93%) and rayon (RY, 39.54%). Remarkable higher microplastic abundances were found in the seawater and sediment adjacent to the urban area. The abundances of microplastics in far coastal sediment were only slightly lower than that in the coastal sediment, indicating that microplastic is ready to transport and bury in open area sediment. Significant positive correlations between the microplastics abundance and population density and per capita GDP were found in Chinese coastal seawater, with low population density and less developed economy, the microplastic pollution in the Beibu Gulf was at a low level. This study provides preliminary data of microplastics in the Beibu Gulf, supporting further investigation of transportation fate and management of this emerging pollutant from coastal zone to the South China Sea.