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Marine debris characterization is fundamental for developing policies aiming at ending the flow of marine debris at the source. China has the largest coastal population in the world. For this emerging economy, the sources of debris might be different from those in regions at different developmental stages. As a typical coastal tourist city and a special economic zone in East China, there are multiple sources of marine debris continuously produced around Xiamen. Marine debris characterization here could provide insights into regulatory measures. Therefore, the abundance and composition of marine debris around Xiamen were investigated. Average densities of floating, beached, benthic macro-debris and floating microplastics (0.5 mm - 5 mm) were 3963 ± 2027 items km−2, 0.13 ± 0.08 items m−2, 20,274 ± 15,873 items km−2 and 36,455 ± 33,935 items km−2, respectively. Based on the Clean Coast Indexes, the beaches investigated were supposed to be "very clean" most of the time (73.2% ± 34.9%). Wastes with low value for recycling/reuse, such as grocery bags, ropes, and foams, were the main items of marine debris in the study area. Both domestic sources from the upstream and local fishing/aquaculture activities significantly contributed to marine debris. Obvious regional differences in benthic debris categories could be explained by both natural factors and the rural-urban gap in economic levels, waste-management strategies and infrastructure. These might be common features in this emerging market and densely populated economy. The findings provide insights into the sources of mismanaged waste around this tourist city and some neglected deficiencies in China's current solid waste management system. Unlabelled Image • The abundance/composition of debris and floating microplastics was investigated. • Wastes with low value for recycling/reuse were the main categories of marine debris. • The characteristics of debris are different from those of developed economies. • Rural domestic and fishing/aquaculture sources are the main possible sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Element content, grain size, pollen and 210Pb dating analysis were performed on 80 cm sediment core from Taibai Lake, a shallow lake in the middle reach of Yangtze River in China, to reveal the response of catchment environment to climate changes and human activities during the past four centuries. The 210Pb dating suggests that 0–39.5 cm of the core represents the past 163 years and bottom of the core is at ca. 1590 AD. Major changes showed in the core are compared with the records from historical documents, including population, cultivation and climate etc. 1700–1810 AD was the period with intensive human activities in Taibai Lake catchment, behaving as deforestation and cereal cultivation expansion, signaled in the sediments by low percentage of pinus pollen and high percentage of Gramineae pollen, high content of <16 μm fraction. Another period with intensive human activities was since 1928 AD, behaving as deforestation, reservoir construction, land reclamation, soil loss. The high sedimentation flux epochs, such as 1900–1920 AD, 1931 AD, 1938–1939 AD and 1954 AD, were correlated with high precipitation; nevertheless, the high sedimentation flux epochs in 1958–1970 AD and 1983–1993 AD were correlated with the land reclamation around Taibai Lake and soil loss due to intensive cultivation development respectively. The two coldest stages during the “Little Ice Age” were in 1650–1700 AD and 1810–1900 AD, consistent with the historical records generally, characterized by weak weathering, high forest coverage and weak human activities in Taibai Lake catchment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]