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Sampling, Sorting, and Characterizing Microplastics in Aquatic Environments with High Suspended Sediment Loads and Large Floating Debris
Published on: July 28, 2018
The influence of water conservancy project on microplastics distribution in river ecosystem: A case study of Lhasa
Dan Wang1, Le Zhang2, Wangwang Li2
1Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Eco-environmental Protection of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control On Plateau (Tibet Autonomous Region), School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa 850000, PR China; School of Bioengineering and Health, State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, PR China; College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, PR China.
Abstract:
Water conservancy projects affect the migration, suspension, and deposition of microplastic (MP). However, its impact on MP pollution of river ecosystem remains elusive. Herein, we investigated the MP characteristics and the influence of water conservancy projects on MPs in the Lhasa River Basin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. The results demonstrated that the MPs concentration in surface water decreased from upstream to downstream, as more MPs in surface water were settling down and stored in reservoir sediments in the midstream. It is postulated that reservoir sedimentation of MPs occurs at a greater rate due to the barrier effect of reservoirs, steady hydrodynamics, and weak salinity-induced buoyancy. To evaluate the ecological risk of the Lhasa River Basin, the pollution load index, the polymer hazard index, and the potential ecological risk index were analyzed. The upstream exhibits elevated polymer hazard index values (>100), and the potential ecological risk index values in the Lhasa River Basin showed ecological risk similar to those of pollution load index values. This research represents the initial exploration of MP distribution within the entire Lhasa River basin, providing a foundational framework for investigating the impact of water conservancy projects on MP migration.
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