Scientific expedition team measures micro plastic content of South China Sea

A scientific expedition team of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) released its latest investigation results on Sept 18 concerning volumes of micro plastic in the South China Sea.

In the sea area, the abundance of micro plastic is about 6.26 in every 300 grams of soil sample on average and 3.73 in every 300 cubic meters of seawater.

The micro plastic distribution data of the South China Sea area were released to the public after completion of the first marine micro plastic scientific investigation independently organized and planned by a university student organization.

The ecological adventure had been planned and prepared for half a year and the data were published after 35 rounds of experiments and comparisons.

Micro plastic refers to plastic pellets, microfibers, plastic particles, foamed plastics and thin films with a length between 0.2 mm and 5.0 mm. Naked human eyes can hardly see it. It was first found in Florida, the US, in 1972 and is believed to do harm to phytoplankton, zooplankton and other marine animals. It can also carry viruses and bacteria, which can threaten the health of higher animals, including humans, through the food chain.