Microplastics in seawater and two sides of the Taiwan Strait: Reflection of the social-economic development

Qianqian Wu; Siguang Liu; Piao Chen; Mengyang Liu; Sha-Yen Cheng; Hongwei Ke; Peng Huang; Yongcheng Ding; Minggang Cai

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112588

Microplastics in seawater and two sides of the Taiwan Strait: Reflection of the social-economic development

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Aug:169:112588. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112588. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Authors

Qianqian Wu¹, Siguang Liu², Piao Chen³, Mengyang Liu⁴, Sha-Yen Cheng⁵, Hongwei Ke¹, Peng Huang⁶, Yongcheng Ding⁷, Minggang Cai⁸

Affiliations

¹ Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
² Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; Fujian Institute of Oceanography, Xiamen 361013, China.
³ Coastal and Ocean Management Institute, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
⁴ College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
⁵ College of Ocean Science and Resource, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 20224, China.
⁶ College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; College of Ocean and Meteorology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
⁸ Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China. Electronic address: mgcai@xmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 34119964
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112588

Abstract

Microplastic abundance, distribution and source characteristics were investigated for the surface seawaters from the Taiwan Strait as well as those of sediments along its west and east coasts. The microplastic abundances were in the range of 28-208 (mean 90) and 10-246 (mean 69) items/kg (d.w.) along the west and east coasts respectively. The higher microplastic abundance on the west coast might be related to the different local economic development, population, land-use and other human activities. Combined with microplastic pollution and socio-economic development, regression analysis results showed that urbanization level is negatively correlated with foams while positively correlated with fibers. This study, as the first report of microplastics in the Taiwan Strait, suggested further research on microplastics cross-strait transportation and the relationship with economic developments.

Keywords: Coastal pollutants; Cross-strait transport; Microplastics; Social-economic impact; Taiwan Strait.

MeSH terms

Economic Development
Environmental Monitoring
Humans
Microplastics*
Plastics
Seawater
Taiwan
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Microplastics
Plastics
Water Pollutants, Chemical