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.

越来越多的研究揭示了全球变暖与微塑料（microplastics）之间的关联与相互作用。然而，该领域的研究仍处于初期阶段，内容零散且结论不一。为此，本文采用元分析（meta-analysis）方法对该领域的相关文献进行总结与分析。经过筛选，最终共获得39篇与全球变暖和微塑料污染相互作用相关的研究论文，以及730组数据点。研究结果表明，一方面，土壤微塑料污染可使温室气体二氧化碳（CO₂）排放显著增加140.20%、一氧化二氮（N₂O）排放增加195.27%，全球增温潜势（Global Warming Potential）提升172.10%，进而加剧全球变暖。通过引入解释变量进行分析发现，微塑料类型、土壤类型以及土壤溶解性有机碳是重要的影响因素。另一方面，本研究还阐明，全球变暖引发的水温升高会放大微塑料的生物毒性效应。本研究针对水生生物的关键生理指标（如存活率、捕食率）以及过氧化氢酶（CAT）、乙氧基试卤灵-O-脱乙基酶（EROD）等关键酶标记物收集数据并开展元分析，结果显示水温升高会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相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。