Distribution, source, and sink of microplastics in the nearshore-estuarine systems of the South China Sea basin

Yuting ZHOU; Lanlin JIN; Huajin CHANG; Tingting MA; Yongming LUO

doi:10.1007/s00343-025-4271-5

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Distribution, source, and sink of microplastics in the nearshore-estuarine systems of the South China Sea basin

Ecology | Updated：2025-12-16

- Distribution, source, and sink of microplastics in the nearshore-estuarine systems of the South China Sea basin
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 43, Issue 6, Pages: 1841-1861(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang 441053, China
  2.Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 211135, China
  3.Hubei Key Laboratory of Low Dimensional Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang 441053, China
- Author bio：
  
  ttmaxiaotu@126.com
  ymluo@yic.ac.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-025-4271-5
  CLC：
- Received：15 October 2024，
  
  Published：01 November 2025
- Accepted：
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ZHOU Yuting,JIN Lanlin,CHANG Huajin,et al.Distribution, source, and sink of microplastics in the nearshore-estuarine systems of the South China Sea basin[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(06):1841-1861.
DOI：

ZHOU Yuting,JIN Lanlin,CHANG Huajin,et al.Distribution, source, and sink of microplastics in the nearshore-estuarine systems of the South China Sea basin[J].Journal of Oceanology and Limnology,2025,43(06):1841-1861. DOI： 10.1007/s00343-025-4271-5.

摘要

Abstract

The environmental impact of microplastic pollution has triggered the alarm of public for over 20 years. The South China Sea

situated as a marginal sea in the tropical region

is surrounded by unique blue-carbon ecosystems and densely populated provinces that produce a substantial amount of industrial plastic waste. Understanding the source-sink relationship and distribution of microplastics in rivers

nearshores

and estuaries is crucial for safeguarding the ecological integrity of estuarine environments. In this review

a comprehensive review of recent researches on the distribution and source-sink relationships of microplastics in rivers and nearshore and offshore regions in the South China Sea have been discussed. Due to atmospheric deposition and precipitation

microplastics exhibit spatial heterogeneity in terms of abundance and distribution in areas surrounding the South China Sea. The major pollution sources include river inputs

industrial wastewater discharge

aquaculture activities

and shipping operations. Anthropogenic and other biological factors such as fish ingestion and vegetation entrapment also affect the distribution and transport of microplastics. To quantify the abundance and distribution of microplastics and elucidate their transport mechanisms

it is recommended to strengthen the detection and management of microplastics in the South China Sea region

standardize sampling methods and units

establish shared databases

and explore effective governance pathways.

关键词

Keywords

references

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