Abundance of microplastics in a typical urban wetland in China: Association with occurrence and carbon storage

Microplastics (MPs) are gaining attention for their widespread presence and toxicity in ecosystems. However, their role as a carbon source in urban wetland carbon sinks is still unclear. In this study, the microplastic-carbon (MP-C) was firstly quantified based on the abundance and occurrence characteristics, including MP morphology, size and type in the Sanyang Wetland, a typical urban wetland of China. MP abundances ranged from 2.4 ± 0.6–14.9 ± 1.5 items/L in surface water and 6.6 ± 1.2 × 10³ to 46.3 ± 5.9 × 10³ items/kg in sediment. The predominant morphological characterization of MPs was fragments smaller than 200 μm in size, consisting of PP, PE, and PET, which suggests that the main source was domestic wastewater discharge nearby. Notably, in the Sanyang wetland, the contribution of MP-C to total organic carbon (TOC) was estimated to be 0.023[sbnd]0.20 % in water and 0.026[sbnd]0.28 % in sediment. With the continuous production of plastics globally, these values were predicted to increase to 0.12 [sbnd] 0.71 % and 0.83 [sbnd] 4.12 % by 2100, respectively. Although the estimations relied on simplified geometric assumptions for MP volume and theoretical carbon content, these approaches provide a reasonable basis for understanding MP-C dynamics in wetlands under current analytical constraints. The integration of MP-C characterization during environmental monitoring and management strategies would enhance our understanding of MP pollution's role in the carbon cycle.