The interplay between climate warming driven by greenhouse gas emissions and the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics: Insights from a meta-analysis

An increasing number of studies have revealed the interconnections and
interactions between global warming and microplastics. However, research
in this field is still in its early stages, with fragmented content and
inconsistent conclusions. Therefore, this paper adopts a meta-analysis
method to summarize and analyze the relevant literature in this area.
After screening, a total of 39 research papers and 730 data points related
to the interactions between global warming and microplastic pollution were
obtained. The research results indicate that, on one hand, soil
microplastic pollution significantly increases greenhouse gas CO2
emissions by 140.20%, N2O emissions by 195.27% and Global Warming
Potential by 172.10%, thereby exacerbating global warming. By introducing
explanatory variables for analysis, it was found that microplastic type,
soil type, and soil dissolved organic carbon are important influencing
factors. On the other hand, the study also explains that the rise in water
temperature due to global warming amplifies the biological toxicity
effects of microplastics. By collecting data and conducting a
meta-analysis on key physiological indicators of aquatic organisms, such
as survival rate and predation rate, as well as critical enzymatic markers
like CAT and EROD. Increasing water temperature can lead to oxidative
damage and poisoning in aquatic animals. The bidirectional interaction
mechanism between microplastic pollution and global warming may form a
vicious cycle, further increasing the vulnerability of ecosystems. This
study provides a theoretical basis and research direction for addressing
the dual threats of microplastic pollution and global warming.

越来越多的研究表明，全球变暖与微塑料之间存在相互关联与交互作用。但目前该领域的研究仍处于起步阶段，存在研究内容零散、结论不统一的问题。为此，本文采用元分析（meta-analysis）方法，对该领域的相关文献进行汇总与分析。经筛选后，共获取到39篇与全球变暖及微塑料污染交互作用相关的研究论文，以及730组数据点。研究结果显示：一方面，土壤微塑料污染可使温室气体二氧化碳（CO₂）排放量增加140.20%、一氧化二氮（N₂O）排放量增加195.27%，全球增温潜势（Global Warming Potential）提升172.10%，进而加剧全球变暖。通过引入解释变量开展分析，研究发现微塑料类型、土壤类型以及土壤溶解性有机碳为关键影响因素。另一方面，本研究还阐明，全球变暖引发的水体温度升高会放大微塑料的生物毒性效应。本研究通过收集数据并针对水生生物的关键生理指标（如存活率、捕食率）以及CAT、EROD等核心酶标志物开展元分析，发现水体温度升高可导致水生动物产生氧化损伤与中毒反应。微塑料污染与全球变暖之间的双向交互作用机制可能形成恶性循环，进一步加剧生态系统的脆弱性。本研究为应对微塑料污染与全球变暖的双重威胁提供了理论依据与研究方向。