Journal
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 152, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110916
Keywords
Microplastic; Pollution; Surface sediments; Gulf of Thailand; Grain size; Pollution sources
Funding
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [14380001]
- Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province [BK20130056]
- National International Cooperation Project on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction [GASI-GEOGE-03, GASI-02-SCS-CJ03]
- cooperative research program between China and Thailand Research on Vulnerability of Coastal Zones
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This study investigated the distribution and characteristics of microplastics in surface sediments of the Gulf of Thailand (GoT), and discussed the correlation between sediment grain size and microplastic content. The results indicate the abundance of microplastics is 150.4 +/- 86.2 pieces/kg dry weight, representing a medium microplastic pollution level compared to other sea areas. Small microplastics (0.5-1 mm) take up > 70% of total microplastic numbers. Fibrous microplastics are the dominant component of microplastics. According to micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, rayon (37%) and polyester (PES: 16%) are the most typical polymer types found in sediments. The results imply that secondary microplastics are the dominant pollutant, while fibrous microplastics are mainly from municipal sewage discharge. We also find that inconspicuous correlation between grain size and microplastics, which is caused by the multi-sources and different flow field. This study deepens our understanding of the environmental risks posed by microplastics to marine ecosystems in the GoT.
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