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Kernel density plot with the x-axis showing surface area of (a) fibres; (b) fragments; (c) total zooplankton; (d) Rotifera; (e) Cladocera; (f) nauplii; (g) Cyclopoida; (h) Calanoida. The surface area distribution of the microplastics overlaps the zooplankton surface area size distribution
Source publication
The prevalence of microplastics (MP) (< 5 mm) in aquatic habitats has recently raised concerns owing to their influence on humans and aquatic organisms, as they absorb organic pollutants and pathogens from the surrounding media because of their higher surface-to-volume ratio. Freshwater systems are severely affected by the increased intake of disca...
Citations
... MPs are still a new form of pollutant that is difficult to decompose naturally. In addition, urban inland rivers are closely related to the water source of an urban area, and their pollution greatly impacts human health and is a potential source of harm [20]. In recent years, MPs have been found in human blood [68], indicating that blood can absorb MPs. ...
This paper focuses on the Harbin section of the Songhua River in the cold region of northern China. The occurrence characteristics and pollution level of microplastics (MPs) are explored in both the ice and water of urban inland rivers and estuaries during the ice-covered periods. The abundance of MPs in Majiagou ice averaged 324.4 ± 261.5 particles/L, and the abundance of MPs in Songhua ice averaged 65.0 ± 68.2 particles/L. In the water with different depths of Songhua, the MP abundance ranged from 1.0 ± 0.7 particles/L to 12.9 ± 9.4 particles/L, with an average of 5.6 ± 7.6 particles/L. The amount of MPs in ice is about 11 times that in water, where ice formation is mainly responsible for the decline in the MP abundance in aquatic environments. The abundance of MPs in urban inland rivers gradually increased from south to north, while that in the mainstream of the Songhua River showed an increasing trend from east to west. Detected MPs were mainly fiber and white in shape and color, respectively, with a particle size < 0.5 mm. The extent of microplastics in ice is greater than that in water, and melting in the following spring will exacerbate the environmental impact. The results identified the discharge of domestic sewage as the main source of MPs in urban inland rivers. Polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyacrylonitrile were the main types of polymers. The results of the ecological risk assessment showed that the MP pollution in the Harbin section of the Songhua River reached moderate and severe pollution levels during the ice-covered periods. Its potential risk should receive more attention, and control should be strengthened.
... Rajeswari et al. [114] investigated microplastic pollution in Kolavai Lake, Tamil Nadu, India, and highlighted the microplastic-to-zooplankton ratio and its severe impact on the environment's food chain. Further chemical and morphological characteristics were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and SEM analysis. ...
Lakes are essentially interlinked to humans as they provide water for drinking, agriculture, industrial and domestic purposes. The upsurge of plastic usage, its persistence, and potential detrimental effects on organisms cause impacts on the trophic food web of freshwater ecosystems; this issue, however, still needs to be explored. Zooplankton worldwide is commonly studied as an indicator of environmental risk in aquatic ecosystems for several pollutants. The aim of the review is to link the existing knowledge of microplastic pollution in zooplankton to assess the potential risks linked to these organisms which are at the first level of the lacustrine trophic web. A database search was conducted through the main databases to gather the relevant literature over the course of time. The sensitivity of zooplankton organisms is evident from laboratory studies, whereas several knowledge gaps exist in the understanding of mechanisms causing toxicity. This review also highlights insufficient data on field studies hampering the understanding of the pollution extent in lakes, as well as unclear trends on ecosystem––level cascading effects of microplastics (MPs) and mechanisms of toxicity (especially in combination with other pollutants). Therefore, this review provides insight into understanding the overlooked issues of microplastic in lake ecosystems to gain an accurate ecological risk assessment.
The ice-covered periods is a natural phenomenon where ice forms on the water surface of rivers in areas with high latitude and cold climate. Ice blocks the diffusion of pollutants, thus causing changes in water quality characteristics. This paper focuses on the Harbin section of the Songhua River in the cold region of northern China. The occurrence characteristics and pollution level of microplastics (MPs) are explored in both ice and water of urban inland rivers and estuaries during the ice-covered periods. The results identified the discharge of domestic sewage as the main source of MPs in urban inland rivers. The abundance of MPs in MaJiaGou average of 324.36 ± 261.45 item/L, the abundance of MPs in SongHua ice raverage of 65.02 ± 68.15 item/L, while in the water with different depths of SongHua, the MPs it ranged from 1.03 ± 0.66 item/L to 12.86 ± 9.35 item/L,average is 5.59 ± 7.57 item/L.The amount of MPs in ice is about 11 times that in water.Ice formation caused a decline in MPs prevalence within the aquatic environment primarily due to the inclusion of a relatively large proportion of MPs within the ice mass during freezing. Additionally, it restricted atmospheric MPs from entering the river waters, contributing to the decrease.The abundance of MPs in urban inland rivers gradually increased from south to north, while that in the mainstream of the Songhua River showed an increasing trend from east to west. Detected MPs were mainly fibrous and white in shape and color, respectively, with a particle size < 0.5 mm. The fragmentation of micro plastics in ice is greater than that in water. Polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyacrylonitrile,etc were the main types of polymers. The results of ecological risk assessment showed that the MPs pollution in the Harbin section of the Songhua River reached moderate and severe pollution levels during the ice-covered periods Its potential risk should receive more attention and control should be strengthened. The research results have important reference significance for providing basic information for river pollution control and ecological protection in cold regions, providing a new direction for future research. In the future, more attention should be directed to the transfer and toxic effects of environmental MPs.
