On the afternoon of May 8, local time, the Chinese Ocean 49 voyage scientific expedition team carried out trawling sampling operations in the southwest Indian Ocean to monitor newly emerging marine pollutant micro-plastics. This is the first time that China has conducted micro-plastic surveys in this area.
Microplastics are generally considered to be plastic fibers, particles or films with a particle size of less than 5 mm. They are derived from human activities and are enriched by physical, chemical processes and food chains. They enter organisms and even the human body. Microplastics also bring more and more The environmental issue has been compared by scientists to the 'PM2.5' in the ocean. It is a research hotspot in international marine ecology and environmental science in recent years.
'This is a micro-plastic sample collected by trawl.' Zhou Yadong, the researcher responsible for the sampling work, introduced.
At about 16:30 local time, the team members slowly placed a sampling net with an aperture of 0.33 mm into the water from the back deck, and trawled the boat for about 30 minutes to obtain a surface water sample. After that, the scientists took samples. Glass vials are fixed and sealed after sealing. 'The later stage, we will submit the samples to the relevant institutions, the researchers will analyze the concentration, shape, composition and other information through the experiment to assess the distribution of the marine micro-plastics and pollution status of the area. ' Zhou Yadong Say.
Since 2016, China has begun to monitor offshore micro-plastics. Last year, China expanded its marine micro-plastics monitoring to the oceans for the first time. Ni Jianyu, chief scientist of the fourth segment of China Ocean 49, told reporters that in the fourth segment, 5. The team will carry out 5 marine micro plastic surveys in due course.
It is reported that the global survey data on micro-plastics in the Indian Ocean is relatively scarce. China first acquired samples of marine micro-plastics in the southwest Indian Ocean, which has a positive effect on the distribution of marine micro-plastics on a global scale and assesses the impact of human activities on the marine environment.