Vertical distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments of Xuwen Coral Reef National Nature Reserve, China

Mayakrishnan MACHENDIRANATHAN; Guangzhe JIN; Huaxia HUANG; Tingbang LIANG; Zongxuan LIN; Huiying LIN; Lingling XIE; Fajin CHEN

doi:10.1007/s00343-024-3292-9

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Vertical distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments of Xuwen Coral Reef National Nature Reserve, China

Micro- and nano-plastics in marine environments | Updated：2025-03-21

- Vertical distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments of Xuwen Coral Reef National Nature Reserve, China
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 43, Issue 2, Pages: 422-432(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Laboratory for Coastal Ocean Variation and Disaster Prediction, College of Ocean and Meteorology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
  2.Key Laboratory of Climate, Resources, and Environment in Continental Shelf Sea and Deep Ocean, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China
  3.Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhanjiang 524088, China
- Author bio：
  
  jinguangzhe@live.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-024-3292-9
  CLC：
- Received：31 December 2023，
  
  Online First：15 July 2024，
  
  Published：01 March 2025
- Accepted：
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MACHENDIRANATHAN Mayakrishnan,JIN Guangzhe,HUANG Huaxia,et al.Vertical distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments of Xuwen Coral Reef National Nature Reserve, China[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(02):422-432.
DOI：

MACHENDIRANATHAN Mayakrishnan,JIN Guangzhe,HUANG Huaxia,et al.Vertical distribution of microplastics in coastal sediments of Xuwen Coral Reef National Nature Reserve, China[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(02):422-432. DOI： 10.1007/s00343-024-3292-9.

摘要

Abstract

Plastic pollution and microplastics in sediments are a growing concern for marine ecosystems worldwide. We examined the vertical distribution and properties of microplastics in beach sediments of Xuwen Coral Reef National Nature Reserve

in Leizhou Peninsula

Zhanjiang

China. Sediment samples were taken in seven locations at 5-cm intervals from the surface to a depth of 30 cm. The vertical distribution of microplastic particles ranged from 0 to 1 340 particles per kg on average of 119.05 particles per kg. The most prevalent material was fibers (76%)

followed by film (12%)

fragments (11.2%)

and foam (0.8%). The microplastics in size of 1–2 mm constituted the largest percentage (40%) of the total

followed by those in size of <1 mm (26.4%)

2–3 mm (21.2%)

3–4 mm (9.6%)

and 4–5 mm (2.81%). Site S1 observed maximum sizes between 1 and 2 mm

S2 reported higher availability of microplastics with sizes ranging from 0.3 to 1 mm. Six different types of polymers were identified in the investigation

and mostly were polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). In general

the observation of microplastics in deeper sediments indicates that they have the ability to last for prolonged periods in the marine environment

which may present long-term hazards to benthic creatures. In conclusion

the discovery of microplastics in deep layers of coastal sediments highlights the necessity of minimizing plastic waste and enhancing management strategies to safeguard marine environments.

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references

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