IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i9p4162-d1649337.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Microplastics in Surface Water in the Yangtze River, China: Basin-Wide Observation, Multiple Ecological Risk Assessment and Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Qi Luo

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Jijun Gao

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

  • Bo Gao

    (State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China)

Abstract

The Yangtze River Basin (YRB) is an important source of marine microplastics (MPs). However, unscientific research methods in previous studies have led to inaccurate estimates of the occurrence and ecologic risk of MPs. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the distribution and ecological risks of MPs in the YRB, through investigating the occurrence of full-size MPs in the surface waters of the YRB over 3 years. The Size Effect was developed based on the impact of size and MP-carried pollutants on human health, and combined with multiple methods to evaluate the potential risks of MPs. The average MP abundance in the YRB was 8797 ± 12,281 items/m 3 , dominated by polypropylene and fragments. The small MPs (<0.3 mm; 92.52%) were the driving factor of the MP spatial heterogeneity. Interestingly, the Three Gorges Dam significantly altered the MP distribution and weakened the MP transportation. Agricultural activities, wastewater treatment plants, and atmospheric deposition were the main sources of MPs in the YRB. Multiple ecological risk assessment indicated that the MP risk in the YRB was at the middle–low level. This study addresses the occurrence of <0.05 mm MPs in the YRB, provides insights for MP risk assessment, and serves as a reference for sustainable management.

Suggested Citation

  • Qi Luo & Jijun Gao & Bo Gao, 2025. "Microplastics in Surface Water in the Yangtze River, China: Basin-Wide Observation, Multiple Ecological Risk Assessment and Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-20, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:9:p:4162-:d:1649337
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/9/4162/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/9/4162/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hoda Fakour & Shang-Lien Lo & Nathan Thadeo Yoashi & Angelbetter Marselian Massao & Nelson Naboth Lema & Fezile Bethusile Mkhontfo & Patrick Chris Jomalema & Nasra Shabani Jumanne & Bright Hubert Mbuy, 2021. "Quantification and Analysis of Microplastics in Farmland Soils: Characterization, Sources, and Pathways," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-16, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Raquel Pérez-Reverón & Sergio J. Álvarez-Méndez & Rebecca Magdalena Kropp & Adolfo Perdomo-González & Javier Hernández-Borges & Francisco J. Díaz-Peña, 2022. "Microplastics in Agricultural Systems: Analytical Methodologies and Effects on Soil Quality and Crop Yield," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-29, August.
    2. Muhammad Luqman & Tehreem Shahid & Muhammad Umer Farooq Awan & Saif Ur Rehman Kashif & Fariha Arooj & Ali Raza Awan, 2023. "Quantification and characterization of microplastics (MPs) pollution in peri-uburban agricultural lands of Lahore, Pakistan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(10), pages 1-22, October.
    3. Jorge Mongil-Manso & Raimundo Jiménez-Ballesta & Juan Manuel Trujillo-González & Ana San José Wery & Alexandra Díez Méndez, 2023. "A Comprehensive Review of Plastics in Agricultural Soils: A Case Study of Castilla y León (Spain) Farmlands," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-21, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:9:p:4162-:d:1649337. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.