Abstract:
As one of emerging pollutants, microplastic occurrence in the coastal marine environment has attracted widespread attention. In this study, the surface sediment samples from 15 stations in different coastal wetland habitats, including
Phragmites australis,
Suaeda salsa,
Spartina alterniflora and mudflat in Yancheng, Jiangsu province were collected, with an aim to explore the abundance, distribution and composition of microplastics in different habitats of Yancheng coastal wetland. The results showed that the microplastic occurrence can be found in the surface sediments at all stations of Yancheng coastal wetland. The abundance ranged from 39.19 to 745.26 n/kg, with an average of 154.53 n/kg. Fibrous, ≤1.0 mm and transparent microplastics accounted for a higher proportion, and polyester (47.33%), rayon (16.79%) and polypropylene (11.45%) were the main polymer types, which were mainly resulted from the discharge of domestic wastewater such as washing machine and the abandonment of fishing gear. Compared with other coastal environments in China, the abundance of microplastics in the Yancheng coastal wetlands was at a lower-middle level. However, comprehensive evaluation using polymer risk index(
H) and pollution load index(
PLI) indicated that there was some degree of risk of microplastic contamination in the Yancheng coast wetland. The results of this study can provide some reference for the baseline of microplastic pollution in Yancheng coastal wetlands.