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Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Microplastics concentration in the northern South China Sea from 2018-08-07 to 2018-08-22 (NCEI Accession 0276267)

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This study was carried out to estimate the microplastics (i.e. plastics measuring less than 5mm, reported in unit of pieces/m^3) concentration in the northern South China Sea. Microplastics data was collected from 2018-08-07 to 2018-08-22 using stainless steel buckets. This dataset contains the results from all 69 sampling efforts, in a spreadsheet format.
  • Cite as: Xu, Shaopeng; Chen, Luoluo; Zhang, Kai; Cao, Yaru; Ma, Yue; Chau, Hoi; Tao, Danyang; Wu, Chenxi; Li, Chengtao; Lam, Paul (2023). Microplastics concentration in the northern South China Sea from 2018-08-07 to 2018-08-22 (NCEI Accession 0276267). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0276267. Accessed [date].
gov.noaa.nodc:0276267
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  • Excel
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Distributor NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
+1-301-713-3277
NCEI.Info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
ncei.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 2018-08-07 to 2018-08-22
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West: 112.487407
East: 114.103978
South: 21.387182
North: 22.200038
Spatial Coverage Map
General Documentation
Associated Resources
  • The NOAA NCEI Global Marine Microplastics Database (1972-present)
    • NCEI Collection
      Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download.
  • Xu S, Chen L, Zhang K, Cao Y, Ma Y, Chau HS, Tao D, Wu C, li C, Lam PKS. Microplastic occurrence in the northern South China Sea, A case for Pre and Post cyclone analysis. Chemosphere. 2022 Feb 14;296:133980.
    • Parent ID (indicates this dataset is related to other data):
    • gov.noaa.nodc:NCEI-Marine-Microplastics
Publication Dates
  • publication: 2023-01-12
Data Presentation Form Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency As needed
Supplemental Information
Submission Package ID: U21DKX
Purpose These data were collected in order to determine the microplastics concentrations in the northern South China Sea from 2018-08-07 to 2018-08-22
Use Limitations
  • accessLevel: Public
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Dataset Citation
  • Cite as: Xu, Shaopeng; Chen, Luoluo; Zhang, Kai; Cao, Yaru; Ma, Yue; Chau, Hoi; Tao, Danyang; Wu, Chenxi; Li, Chengtao; Lam, Paul (2023). Microplastics concentration in the northern South China Sea from 2018-08-07 to 2018-08-22 (NCEI Accession 0276267). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0276267. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors
  • Xu, Shaopeng
    CityU
  • Chen, Luoluo
  • Zhang, Kai
  • Cao, Yaru
  • Ma, Yue
  • Chau, Hoi
  • Tao, Danyang
  • Wu, Chenxi
  • Li, Chengtao
  • Lam, Paul
Contributors
Resource Providers
Points of Contact
Publishers
Acknowledgments
  • Related Funding Agency: National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41906114)
  • Related Funding Agency: Research Grants Council Theme-Based Research Scheme (T21-602/16-R)
Theme keywords NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS WMO_CategoryCode
  • oceanography
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
Data Center keywords NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS
Instrument keywords NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS Provider Instruments
  • Stainless steel bucket
Place keywords NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
Keywords NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER
Use Constraints
  • Cite as: Xu, Shaopeng; Chen, Luoluo; Zhang, Kai; Cao, Yaru; Ma, Yue; Chau, Hoi; Tao, Danyang; Wu, Chenxi; Li, Chengtao; Lam, Paul (2023). Microplastics concentration in the northern South China Sea from 2018-08-07 to 2018-08-22 (NCEI Accession 0276267). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0276267. Accessed [date].
Access Constraints
  • Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees
  • In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • 2023-01-12T17:19:36Z - NCEI Accession 0276267 v1.1 was published.
Output Datasets
Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps
  • Parameter or Variable: MICROPLASTIC CONCENTRATION (measured); Units: pieces/m3; Observation Category: in situ; Sampling Instrument: Stainless steel bucket; Sampling and Analyzing Method: A scientific cruise was organized in the Northern South China Sea (NSCS) during August 2018, covering the coastal areas of Guangdong Province for seawater sampling. The sample locations were selected to provide an even coverage of different distances to the shore. During this scientific cruise, a tropical cyclone (International Code: 1816) caused heavy rainfall and strong winds in Guangdong Province and the coastal area, but the cyclone did not pass through the study area. According to the various geographical features and a previous study on pollutant distribution, the study area was divided into four regions from southwest to northeast: R1 (Jiangmen offshore region), R2 (Area away from the Pearl River Estuary), and R3 (Hong Kong west marine water). R1 only has one river input, while R2 mainly merges water from Pearl River system via eight riverine outlets; R3 usually receives directly less Zhujiang River Diluted Water in wet season due to the geographic block of the Lantau Island. Sampling procedures were based on previous studies where 30 L of surface water was collected using 10-L stainless steel buckets at each location and filtered using a mesh sieve with a pore size of 100 μm. The water samples were pretreated following procedures from previous studies, which were slightly modified. Initially, the contents of the sieves were rinsed into a sterilized beaker and treated with H2O2 at 60 ◦C for 12 h to digest any organic matter. After digestion, the supernatant was filtered through glass-fiber membranes (pore size = 0.45 μm, Advantec, Japan), which were then placed in a petri dish for subsequent observation. The microplastics in the water samples were visually counted, and their sizes were measured, using a binocular microscope with a magnification range of 6.5–80 × (Nikon SMZ1270). The microplastics abundance in seawater samples were expressed in terms of particles per cubic meter (particles m-3).; Data Quality Method: All sampling tools were rinsed firstly with site water and then with filtered distilled water before each use to prevent contamination. Cotton lab coats and nitrile gloves were worn during the experiment, and the container was covered with aluminum foil. Two field blanks were conducted to check airborne microplastics contamination during sampling. Procedural blanks were treated during the treatment of the seawater samples. The method recovery for the seawater samples was evaluated by the following steps (in triplicate): 100 standard particles were added to simulated seawater, and the digestion and extraction procedures were conducted as described before. The recovered particles were counted, and the recovery was calculated. At least 20% of total number of suspected particles of different shapes were selected randomly for identification by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Furthermore, for particles larger than 1 mm, the identification was conducted using an FTIR (Perkin Elmer Spectrum 100) coupled with an Attenuated Total Reflectance accessory (ATR), whereas for particles in size range of 0.02–1 mm, the identification was conducted using a μ-FTIR (Nicolet IS50) connected to the microscope (Nicolet IN5 Microscope). Infrared spectra in the range of 500–4000 cm-1 were collected by FTIR and μ-FTIR at 4 and 16 scans, respectively. Microplastics materials were confirmed when the spectral matching rate was greater than 70%. The libraries of FTIR spectrum include Aldrich Polymers, Hummel Polymer and Additives, Sprouse Polymers by ATR, HR Sprouse Polymers by ATR, and HR Spectra Polymers and Plasticizers by ATR..
Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument
  • metallic bucket
Last Modified: 2023-08-06T22:16:23Z
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