Microplastic pollution in surface water and sediments of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Current status and causes |
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| Institution: | 1. Xi’an center, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an 710054, China;2. Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region, Ministry of Education, Xi’an 710054, China;3. Key Laboratory for Geo-hazards in Loess Area, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an 710054, China;4. Field Base of Scientific Observation of Shannxi Tongguan, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xi’an 710054, China;5. Institute of Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology and Environment Geology Survey of Qinghai Province, Xining 810008, China;6. School of Earth Science and Land Resources of Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China;7. Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71524, Egypt |
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| Abstract: | To study the current status and causes of the microplastic pollution in surface water of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, this paper compared the average microplastic abundance in sediments and surface water of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the results are as follows. First, the average microplastic abundance in surface water of the independent rivers and the whole area is 247–2686 items/m3 and 856 items/m3, respectively. The average microplastic abundance in sediments of independent rivers or lakes and the whole area is 0–933 items/m2 and 362 items/m2, respectively. Meanwhile, the degree of microplastic pollution in river sediments is higher than that in lake sediments, and the rivers suffering from microplastic pollution mainly include the Brahmaputra River, Tongtian River, and Nujiang River. Second, compared with the microplastic pollution in other areas of the world, the levelof microplastic pollution in the lakes and rivers of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau is not lower than that of well-developed areas with more intensive human activities. Finally, this study suggests that relevant government departments of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau should strengthen waste management strategies while developing tourism and that much attention should be paid to the impacts of microplastics in the water environment.©2021 China Geology Editorial Office. |
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| Keywords: | Microplastic pollution Microplastic abundance Surface water River sediment Water environment Human activities Qinghai-Tibet Plateau China |
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