The characterstics and risk assessment of microplastics pollution in cascade reservoirs of the Huangbai River
LIU Xiao-wei1,2, LI Wei-ming1,2, YAN Kang1,2, XIAO Ming1,2, LI Xuan1,2, WANG Fang-wei1,2, LI Ying-cheng1,2, GAO Ya-kun1,2, DING Shuang1,2, FANG Zi-jie1,2, LI Hong1,2
1. College of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; 2. Hubei Field Observation and Scientific Research Stations for Water Ecosystem in Three Gorges Reservoir, Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
Abstract：This study focused on four cascade reservoirs on the East Branch of the Huangbai River, utilizing a stereo microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer to identify the apparent characteristics and polymer components of microplastics, and to explore the pollution characteristics of microplastics in cascade reservoirs. The pollution risk index, pollution load index and potential ecological risk index were used to assess the ecological risk assessment of the microplastics pollution status in the study area. The results showed that notable variances in both the abundance distribution and apparent attributes of microplastics in surface water and sediment. The average abundance of microplastics in surface water and sediment was (2.30±0.63)n/L and (0.79±0.20)n/g. The abundance of microplastics in the surface water in the dam front area was higher than that in the middle area, which indicated that the dam front of the reservoir area may be a potential accumulation area for microplastics. The high abundance of microplastics in sediment concentrated in the upper reaches of the Xuanmiaoguan Reservoir, which was related to agricultural production and the pollution of domestic waste before the management of the Huangbai River, reflecting the long-term accumulation of microplastics in sediment. Polypropylene(PP) and polyethylene(PE) were the main polymer types, and black and blue were the main colors. The main shape of microplastics in surface water was fibers, while fragments were dominant in sediment. From the perspective of particle size distribution, microplastics with small particle size (0~300μm) were dominant, and the proportion of small-sized microplastics in sediment (82.38%) was much higher than that in surface water (42.96%). The results of the pollution risk index showed that the ecological risk level of surface water and sediment reached a medium level, while the pollution load index and the potential ecological risk index showed that the microplastics pollution status of each sampling point was slightly polluted, with an ecological risk level was I.
刘晓伟, 李卫明, 严康, 肖鸣, 李轩, 王芳炜, 李映成, 高雅坤, 丁爽, 方子杰, 李鸿. 黄柏河流域梯级水库微塑料污染特征及生态风险评估[J]. 中国环境科学, 2024, 44(12): 6972-6983.
LIU Xiao-wei, LI Wei-ming, YAN Kang, XIAO Ming, LI Xuan, WANG Fang-wei, LI Ying-cheng, GAO Ya-kun, DING Shuang, FANG Zi-jie, LI Hong. The characterstics and risk assessment of microplastics pollution in cascade reservoirs of the Huangbai River. CHINA ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCECE, 2024, 44(12): 6972-6983.
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