Taking a mass-balance approach to assess marine plastics in the South China Sea

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:171

Article

Harris, P. T.¹  Tamelander, J.²  Lyons, Y.³  Neo, M. L.⁴  Maes, T.¹ 

[1] GRID Arendal, POB 183, N-4802 Arendal, Norway

[2] United Nations Environm Programme, Bangkok 10200, Thailand

[3] Natl Univ Singapore, Ctr Int Law, Bukit Timah Campus, Singapore, Singapore

[4] Natl Univ Singapore, Trop Marine Sci Inst, Kent Ridge Campus, Singapore, Singapore

关键词: South China Sea;    Plastic;    Pollution;    Mass balance equation;    Box model;    Policy;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112708

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

The South China Sea (SCS) is recognised as a global hotspot for plastic pollution. We review available field studies and identify a significant lack of data needed to construct a simple mass balance box model for plastic pollution in the SCS. Fundamental information on plastic mass input, transfer and sink terms are simply not available. Also unknown are the rates of accumulation in different environments, the dispersal pathways of plastic particles of different density, the residence times of plastic in the water column and the rate at which macroplastics are transformed into microplastics in different environments. Filling these information gaps is critical for states to determine adequate response measures, including developing and tracking impact of policies to deal with the problem of plastic pollution in the SCS.

【 授权许可】

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