Affiliations 

  • 1 Faculty of Science & Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia. Electronic address: roswati_ma@umt.edu.my
  • 2 Faculty of Science & Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 3 Faculty of Science & Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Microplastic Research Interest Group, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
  • 4 Institute of Oceanography & Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Mar Pollut Bull, 2020 Jan;150:110616.
PMID: 31707243 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110616

Abstract

This study investigates the presence of microplastics in surface seawater and zooplankton at five different locations off the Terengganu coast in Malaysia, southern South China Sea. A total of 983 microplastic particles, with an average abundance of 3.3 particles L-1 were found in surface seawater. An average of one plastic particle was detected in 130 individuals from 6 groups of zooplankton. These groups include fish larvae, cyclopoid, shrimps, polychaete, calanoid and chaetognath where they ingested 0.14, 0.13, 0.01, 0.007, 0.005 and 0.003 particle per individual, respectively. Microplastics in the form of fragments are the most common type of ingested microplastics that ranged between 0.02 mm (cyclopoid) - 1.68 mm (shrimp and zoea). Contrastingly, fibers, which are identified as polyamide are the main type of microplastics that dominate in seawater.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.