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Microplastics exist widely in water environment. The microplastic distribution in sediments can better reflect the long-term microplastic pollution, especially the vertical distribution. However, the vertical microplastic distribution in sediments is diverse and unclear. This paper is the first study on vertical microplastic distribution in estuary sediment of Fuhe River, the main upstream river flowing to Baiyangdian Wetland in the northern China. The typical feature of Fuhe River is that the effluent of municipal wastewater treatment plants is its main water source. Microplastics in 15 sampling sites and different depths (0–50 cm) were examined. Results showed that the microplastic content decreased with the increase of sediment depth, and the highest content was 1049 ± 462 items/kg in the topmost sediment layer (0–5 cm). The particle size of microplastics was smaller in deeper sediment layers. The proportion of colored microplastics in deeper sediment layers was larger than that in shallower layers. Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) were the main plastic polymer types in all sediment samples. The spatial distribution characteristics of microplastics in sediments were closely related to human activities, and the microplastic content was higher in the areas with more intense human activities. This study is helpful to understand the detailed distribution characteristics of microplastics in typical rivers in the northern China, and can provide guidance for reducing microplastic pollution.

Wetlands play an important role in sustaining ecosystems on the earth, which regulate water resources, adjust local climate and produce food for human beings, etc. However, wetlands are facing huge challenges due to human activities and other natural evolution, such as area shrinkage, function weakening and biodiversity decrease, and so on, therefore, some wetlands need to be urgently restored. In this study, the main technology components of close-to-natural restoration of wetlands were summarized. The ecological water requirement and water resource allocation can be optimized for the water balance between social, economy and ecology, which is a key prerequisite for maintaining wetland ecosystem. The pollution of wetland sediments and soils can be assessed by various indicators to provide the scientific basis for natural restoration of wetland base, and suitable strategies should be taken according to the actual conditions of wetland bases. The hydrological connectivity in wetlands and with related water system can be numerically simulated to make the optimal plan for improvement of hydrological connectivity. The ecological restoration of wetlands with the synergetic function of plants, animals and microorganisms was summarized, to improve the quality of wetland water environment and maintain the ecosystem stability. Based on the wetland close-to-natural restoration strategies, a brief ecological restoration plan for a typical wetland, Zaozhadian Wetland, near Xiong'an New Area in the north China was proposed from water resource guarantee, base pollution management, hydrological connectivity improvement and biological restoration. The close-to-natural restoration shows more effective, sustainable and long-lasting and thus a practical prospect.