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Lagrangian simulations of plastic pellet transport in the Nieuwe Maas, Port of Rotterdam: animated particle dispersal from Brittaniëhaven and Erasmusbrug release sites
Original title: Lagrangian simulations of plastic pellet transport in the Nieuwe Maas, Port of Rotterdam: animated particle dispersal from Brittaniëhaven and Erasmusbrug release sites
Summary
Scientists used computer simulations to track how tiny plastic pellets (called nurdles, used to make everyday plastic products) might spread through the water in Rotterdam's busy port after spilling from industrial sites. While this study didn't measure actual pollution or health effects, understanding where these pellets likely travel and collect in waterways is an important first step toward preventing them from breaking down into microplastics that can end up in seafood and drinking water.
This record contains animated visualizations (GIF) of Lagrangian particle-tracking simulations of buoyant pre-production plastic pellet (nurdle) transport in the Nieuwe Maas, Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Simulations were produced with OceanParcels (Parcels v3), driven by hydrodynamic output on a native curvilinear grid (1925 × 647 cells). Particles are advected with a fourth-order Runge–Kutta kernel (AdvectionRK4) at a 1-minute timestep over a 14-day runtime. Two release sites are represented: Brittaniëhaven (Botlek), a port-proximate industrial handling source, and Erasmusbrug, an upstream urban reference site. Each site is simulated across six tidal phase scenarios, giving [n] animations in total, with [n] particles released per run. Particles are modelled as buoyant, surface-following polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) pellets. The simulations are scenario-based and exploratory: they are not calibrated against in-situ observations and do not represent wind drift, biofouling, sinking, or sedimentation. They are intended as spatial evidence of relative dispersal and retention behaviour, not as predictions of absolute pellet concentrations or of any specific release event. These animations are supplementary material to the MSc thesis Identifying institutional gaps in urban river plastic pollution using pellet transport modelling: the case of the Port of Rotterdam (IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2026).