Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Occurrence and risk assessment of microplastics in the Lhasa River—a remote plateau river on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment and have received widespread attention worldwide as emerging pollutants. Urbanization and anthropogenic activities are the main sources of MPs in rivers; however, the MPs in plateau rivers with less human activities are not well understood. In this study, the pollution of MPs in the surface water and shore sediment of the Lhasa River from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was investigated, and a risk assessment was conducted. The abundance of MPs in the surface water and shore sediment of Lhasa River were 0.63 n/L and 0.37 n/g, respectively. MPs in surface water were mainly dominated by films (43.23%) and fibers (31.12%) in shape, transparent (54.25%) in color, and 0–0.5 mm (75.83%) in size, while MPs in the shore sediment were mainly fibers (43.69%) and fragments (36.53%), transparent (71.91%), and 0–0.5 mm (60.18%). PP and PE were the predominant polymer types, accounting for 44.55% and 30.79% respectively in the surface water and 32.51% and 36.01% respectively in the shore sediment. More notably, the polymer pollution index (H) of MPs in the Lhasa River was at hazard level III due to the high risk caused by PVC, but the pollution load index (PLI) was low at hazard level I. This study reveals that the remote river in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are polluted by MPs, and their potential risks to the vulnerable ecosystem deserve attention.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

Data generated or analyzed during this study are included in the article and further details will be made available upon request.

References

  • Andrady, A. L. (2011). Microplastics in the marine environment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62(8), 1596–1605.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Angulo, E. (1996). The Tomlinson Pollution Load Index applied to heavy metal, ‘Mussel-Watch’data: A useful index to assess coastal pollution. Science of the Total Environment, 187(1), 19–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arthur, C., Baker, J. E., & Bamford, H. A. (2009). Proceedings of the international research workshop on the occurrence, effects, and fate of microplastic marine debris, September 9–11, 2008, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, WA, USA.

  • Barnes, D. K., Galgani, F., Thompson, R. C., & Barlaz, M. (2009). Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society b: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 1985–1998.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cincinelli, A., Scopetani, C., Chelazzi, D., Martellini, T., Pogojeva, M., & Slobodnik, J. (2021). Microplastics in the Black Sea sediments. Science of the Total Environment, 760, 143898.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Claessens, M., De Meester, S., Van Landuyt, L., De Clerck, K., & Janssen, C. R. (2011). Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in marine sediments along the Belgian coast. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 62(10), 2199–2204.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Covernton, G. A., Pearce, C. M., Gurney-Smith, H. J., Chastain, S. G., Ross, P. S., Dower, J. F., & Dudas, S. E. (2019). Size and shape matter: A preliminary analysis of microplastic sampling technique in seawater studies with implications for ecological risk assessment. Science of the Total Environment, 667, 124–132.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, A., Sims, D., & Sims, D. (1983). Weathering of polymers. Springer Science & Business Media.

  • Ding, L., Mao, R. F., Guo, X. T., Yang, X. M., Zhang, Q., & Yang, C. (2019). Microplastics in surface waters and sediments of the Wei River, in the northwest of China. Science of the Total Environment, 667, 427–434.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fan, Y. F., Zheng, J. L., Deng, L. G., Rao, W. X., Zhang, Q. J., Liu, T., & Qian, X. (2022). Spatiotemporal dynamics of microplastics in an urban river network area. Water Research, 118116.

  • Gray, A. D., Wertz, H., Leads, R. R., & Weinstein, J. E. (2018). Microplastic in two South Carolina Estuaries: Occurrence, distribution, and composition. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 128, 223–233.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Green, D. S., Boots, B., Sigwart, J., Jiang, S., & Rocha, C. (2016). Effects of conventional and biodegradable microplastics on a marine ecosystem engineer (Arenicola marina) and sediment nutrient cycling. Environmental Pollution, 208, 426–434.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Han, M., Niu, X. R., Tang, M., Zhang, B. T., Wang, G. Q., Yue, W., Kong, X., & Zhu, J. (2020). Distribution of microplastics in surface water of the lower Yellow River near estuary. Science of the Total Environment, 707, 135601.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He, B. B., Goonetilleke, A., Ayoko, G. A., & Rintoul, L. (2020). Abundance, distribution patterns, and identification of microplastics in Brisbane River sediments, Australia. Science of the Total Environment, 700, 134467.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, D., Li, X. Y., Ouyang, Z. Z., Zhao, X. N., Wu, R. R., Zhang, C. T., Lin, C., Li, Y. Y., & Guo, X. T. (2021). The occurrence and abundance of microplastics in surface water and sediment of the West River downstream, in the south of China. Science of the Total Environment, 756, 143857.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, Y. L., Tian, M., Jin, F., Chen, M. Y., Liu, Z. G., He, S. Q., Li, F. X., Yang, L. Y., Fang, C., & Mu, J. L. (2020). Coupled effects of urbanization level and dam on microplastics in surface waters in a coastal watershed of Southeast China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 154, 111089.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Isobe, A., Kubo, K., Tamura, Y., Nakashima, E., & Fujii, N. (2014). Selective transport of microplastics and mesoplastics by drifting in coastal waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 89(1–2), 324–330.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, C. B., Yin, L. S., Li, Z. W., Wen, X. F., Luo, X., Hu, S. P., Yang, H. Y., Long, Y. N., Deng, B., Huang, L. Z., & Liu, Y. Z. (2019). Microplastic pollution in the rivers of the Tibet Plateau. Environmental Pollution, 249, 91–98.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kapp, K. J., & Yeatman, E. (2018). Microplastic hotspots in the Snake and Lower Columbia rivers: A journey from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to the Pacific Ocean. Environmental Pollution, 241, 1082–1090.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koelmans, A. A., Redondo-Hasselerharm, P. E., Nor, N. H. M., de Ruijter, V. N., Mintenig, S. M., & Kooi, M. (2022). Risk assessment of microplastic particles. Nature Reviews Materials, 1–15.

  • Kumar, R., Sharma, P., Manna, C., & Jain, M. (2021). Abundance, interaction, ingestion, ecological concerns, and mitigation policies of microplastic pollution in riverine ecosystem: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 782, 146695.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lagarde, F., Olivier, O., Zanella, M., Daniel, P., Hiard, S., & Caruso, A. (2016). Microplastic interactions with freshwater microalgae: Hetero-aggregation and changes in plastic density appear strongly dependent on polymer type. Environmental Pollution, 215, 331–339.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, J. L., Ou Yang, Z. Z., Liu, P., Zhao, X. N., Wu, R. R., Zhang, C. T., Lin, C., Li, Y. Y., & Guo, X. T. (2021). Distribution and characteristics of microplastics in the basin of Chishui River in Renhuai, China. Science of the Total Environment, 773, 145591.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lithner, D., Larsson, Å., & Dave, G. (2011). Environmental and health hazard ranking and assessment of plastic polymers based on chemical composition. Science of the Total Environment, 409(18), 3309–3324.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, R. P., Dong, Y., Quan, G. C., Zhu, H., Xu, Y. N., & Elwardany, R. M. (2021). Microplastic pollution in surface water and sediments of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Current status and causes. China Geology, 4(1), 178–184.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mai, Y. Z., Peng, S. Y., Lai, Z. N., & Wang, X. S. (2021). Measurement, quantification, and potential risk of microplastics in the mainstream of the Pearl River (Xijiang River) and its estuary, Southern China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(38), 53127–53140.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miloloža, M., Kučić Grgić, D., Bolanča, T., Ukić, Š, Cvetnić, M., Ocelić Bulatović, V., Dionysiou, D. D., & Kušić, H. (2021). Ecotoxicological assessment of microplastics in freshwater sources—A review. Water, 13(1), 56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan, Z., Liu, Q. L., Jiang, R. G., Li, W. W., Sun, X. W., Lin, H., Jiang, S. C., & Huang, H. N. (2021). Microplastic pollution and ecological risk assessment in an estuarine environment: The Dongshan Bay of China. Chemosphere, 262, 127876.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • PlasticsEurope. (2021). Plastics-The Facts 2021: An analysis of European latest plastics production, demand and waste data. Plastic Europe, 10–15.

  • Prata, J. C., da Costa, J. P., Duarte, A. C., & Rocha-Santos, T. (2019). Methods for sampling and detection of microplastics in water and sediment: A critical review. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 110, 150–159.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scherer, C., Weber, A., Stock, F., Vurusic, S., Egerci, H., Kochleus, C., Arendt, N., Foeldi, C., Dierkes, G., Wagner, M., Brennholt, N., & Reifferscheid, G. (2020). Comparative assessment of microplastics in water and sediment of a large European river. Science of the Total Environment, 738.

  • Tan, X. L., Yu, X. B., Cai, L. Q., Wang, J. D., & Peng, J. P. (2019). Microplastics and associated PAHs in surface water from the Feilaixia Reservoir in the Beijiang River, China. Chemosphere, 221, 834–840.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R. C., Olsen, Y., Mitchell, R. P., Davis, A., Rowland, S. J., John, A. W., McGonigle, D., & Russell, A. E. (2004). Lost at sea: Where is all the plastic? Science, 304(5672), 838–838.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tomlinson, D., Wilson, J., Harris, C., & Jeffrey, D. (1980). Problems in the assessment of heavy-metal levels in estuaries and the formation of a pollution index. Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen, 33(1), 566–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Cauwenberghe, L., Vanreusel, A., Mees, J., & Janssen, C. R. (2013). Microplastic pollution in deep-sea sediments. Environmental Pollution, 182, 495–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waller, C. L., Griffiths, H. J., Waluda, C. M., Thorpe, S. E., Loaiza, I., Moreno, B., Pacherres, C. O., & Hughes, K. A. (2017). Microplastics in the Antarctic marine system: An emerging area of research. Science of the Total Environment, 598, 220–227.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C. H., Zhao, J., & Xing, B. S. (2021a). Environmental source, fate, and toxicity of microplastics. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 407, 124357.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, G. L., Lu, J. J., Li, W. J., Ning, J. Y., Zhou, L., Tong, Y., Liu, Z., Zhou, H., & Xiayihazi, N. (2021b). Seasonal variation and risk assessment of microplastics in surface water of the Manas River Basin, China. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 208, 111477.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, G. L., Lu, J. J., Tong, Y. B., Liu, Z. L., Zhou, H. J., & Xiayihazi, N. (2020). Occurrence and pollution characteristics of microplastics in surface water of the Manas River Basin, China. Science of the Total Environment, 710, 136099.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Z. Q., Zhang, Y. L., Kang, S. C., Yang, L., Shi, H. H., Tripathee, L., & Gao, T. G. (2021c). Research progresses of microplastic pollution in freshwater systems. Science of the Total Environment, 795, 148888.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, F. X., Wang, J. F., Jiang, S. H., Zeng, H. X., Wu, Q. X., Chen, Q., & Chen, J. G. (2022). Effect of cascade damming on microplastics transport in rivers: A large-scale investigation in Wujiang River, Southwest China. Chemosphere, 134455.

  • Xia, F. Y., Yao, Q. W., Zhang, J., & Wang, D. Q. (2021). Effects of seasonal variation and resuspension on microplastics in river sediments. Environmental Pollution, 286, 117403.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, P., Peng, G. Y., Su, L., Gao, Y. Q., Gao, L., & Li, D. J. (2018). Microplastic risk assessment in surface waters: A case study in the Changjiang Estuary, China. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 133, 647–654.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, M. T., Nie, H. Y., Xu, K. H., He, Y. H., Hu, Y. T., Huang, Y. M., & Wang, J. (2019). Microplastic abundance, distribution and composition in the Pearl River along Guangzhou city and Pearl River estuary, China. Chemosphere, 217, 879–886.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, L. S., Wen, X. F., Huang, D. L., Zhou, Z. Y., Xiao, R. H., Du, L., Su, H. Y., Wang, K. L., Tian, Q. Y., & Tang, Z. S. (2022). Abundance, characteristics, and distribution of microplastics in the Xiangjiang river, China. Gondwana Research, 107, 123–133.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, H. P., Liao, Y. X., Jian, M. F., Li, W. H., Zhou, L. Y., Tan, J. B., & Chen, Y. P. (2019). Occurrence of microplastics in the sediments of the five rivers estuaries in Poyang Lake Basin. Environmental Chemistry, 38(8), 1842–1849.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan, W. K., Christie-Oleza, J. A., Xu, E. G., Li, J. W., Zhang, H. B., Wang, W. F., Lin, L., Zhang, W. H., & Yang, Y. Y. (2022). Environmental fate of microplastics in the world’s third-largest river: Basin-wide investigation and microplastic community analysis. Water Research, 210, 118002.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, B., Yang, X., Chen, L., Chao, J. Y., Teng, J., & Wang, Q. (2020). Microplastics in soils: A review of possible sources, analytical methods and ecological impacts. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, 95(8), 2052–2068.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, B. H., Xu, D. Y., Wan, X. H., Wu, Y. Z., Liu, X. R., & Gao, B. (2022). Comparative analysis of microplastic organization and pollution risk before and after thawing in an urban river in Beijing, China. Science of The Total Environment, 154268.

  • Zhao, S. Y., Zhu, L. X., & Li, D. J. (2015). Microplastic in three urban estuaries, China. Environmental Pollution, 206, 597–604.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ziccardi, L. M., Edgington, A., Hentz, K., Kulacki, K. J., & Kane Driscoll, S. (2016). Microplastics as vectors for bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic chemicals in the marine environment: A state-of-the-science review. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 35(7), 1667–1676.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32201391); the Open Project of Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. E0520202); the Special Research Assistant Project, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. E1291P02); and CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) (No. 2021PB0052).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Amei Zhou and Yuhong Zhao make equal contributions to this manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, China

    Amei Zhou & Yuyi Yang

  2. College of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, China

    Amei Zhou & Yuyi Yang

  3. Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lumo Road No.1, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Amei Zhou, Bongkotrat Suyamud, Wenke Yuan & Yuyi Yang

  4. Tibet Agricultural and Animal Husbandry University, Nyingchi, 860000, China

    Yuhong Zhao

  5. College of Forestry, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu County, 030801, China

    Minxia Liu

  6. Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Bongkotrat Suyamud

  7. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Wenke Yuan & Yuyi Yang

  8. Danjiangkou Wetland Ecosystem Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Wenke Yuan & Yuyi Yang

Authors
  1. Amei Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yuhong Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Minxia Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bongkotrat Suyamud
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Wenke Yuan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yuyi Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Minxia Liu and Bongkotrat Suyamud contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and sample collection were performed by Yuhong Zhao and Yuyi Yang. Data analyses were performed by Amei Zhou and Wenke Yuan. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Amei Zhou and Yuhong Zhao, and they make equal contributions to this manuscript. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenke Yuan.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

All authors have read and agreed to the publication of the manuscript.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 138 kb)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhou, A., Zhao, Y., Liu, M. et al. Occurrence and risk assessment of microplastics in the Lhasa River—a remote plateau river on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Environ Monit Assess 195, 433 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11040-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11040-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation