China has been considered as one of the three biggest producers
of plastic waste (Rochman et al., 2013). Understanding the properties
and distribution of plastics is useful in considering how MP
impacts the social economy, what influence the items have on
the marine ecosystem and how to target management. Our study provides a baseline of MP contamination in the Yangtze Estuarine
system, as well as the first quantitative description of MP debris in
China. The size, abundance and characters of floating MPs
(0.5–5 mm) were established in the Yangtze Estuarine System.
The unique design of spatial scales provides good insights
into MP source and fate. Further research is planned to assess distribution of MP transported via estuaries in differing marine
environments and the probable transfer of MP in the food chain.