MICOPLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE LOWER EBI RIVER

Abstract

 There are concerns about MPs that have flowed into the ocean. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the process by which MPs flow from land into Tokyo Bay based on regular surveys of the river sediment in the Ebi River. The results showed that the number and types of MPs fluctuate greatly over time, but that seasonality is small, and that when a typhoon passes, the number of MPs increases to 75 times the normal amount. We also found that more than 90% of the MPs in the Ebi River are plastic fragments, with few artificial turf or fibers.