We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Coupled watershed and estuary modeling of microplastic transport and retention in the Delaware river basin
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers built a computer model linking land and river processes to ocean currents to track how microplastics move through the Delaware River Basin to the bay. The model found that bay water circulation traps some microplastics rather than letting them flow to the ocean, and that land features like hills and city layout affect how long plastics stay on land before washing away.
Abstract Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging environmental concern owing to their widespread presence and ecological impacts. We develop a coupled watershed–estuary modeling framework to simulate MP transport from terrestrial sources to estuarine systems. The Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) is enhanced to represent point and nonpoint MP sources and is coupled with the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) to capture estuarine transport. Applied to the Delaware River Basin, the framework simulates MP build-up and wash-off, including airborne deposition and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges. Coupling the estuary model enables a more accurate estimation of MP discharge to the ocean, highlighting retention within Delaware Bay from salinity-induced circulation. MP retention on land is strongly influenced by watershed topography, urban distribution, and source configuration, with the “Lower Delaware” subwatershed exhibiting minimal residence time. These results demonstrate the importance of watershed–estuary coupling for accurate MP export estimates and provide a framework for evaluating MP fate in aquatic environments.
More Papers Like This
Modeling Microplastic Transport in Watershed and Estuarine Systems: A Coupled DHSVM-FVCOM Approach
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists built a coupled computer model linking a watershed hydrology model to an ocean circulation model to simulate how microplastics move from land through rivers into estuarine and coastal waters. Applied to the Delaware River Estuary, the framework can help predict where microplastics accumulate, which is essential for designing targeted monitoring and cleanup interventions.
Microplastics in the Delaware River Estuary: Mapping the Distribution and Modeling Hydrodynamic Transport
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers mapped the distribution of microplastics in the Delaware River Estuary and used hydrodynamic modeling to understand how water currents transport these particles. They found that microplastic concentrations varied significantly across the estuary, with higher levels near urban and industrial areas. The study demonstrates that river and tidal dynamics play a major role in determining where microplastic pollution accumulates.
Modeling the microplastic distribution along the Delaware River Estuary: Accumulation patterns and hydrodynamic influences
AI summary Read the abstract
This study used computer modeling to predict how different types of microplastics accumulate along the Delaware River Estuary. Researchers found that lightweight plastics tend to collect in the upper estuary near Trenton, NJ, while heavier fibers and films accumulate downstream near the salinity front below Philadelphia. The accumulation patterns shift seasonally with river flow, providing valuable information for targeting cleanup and monitoring efforts in polluted waterways.
Catchment-scale mechanistic predictions of microplastic transport and distribution across land and water
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model successfully predicting microplastic transport from land to water, validated against field data, revealing how soil accumulation, runoff dynamics, and in-stream transport interact to determine where microplastics concentrate before reaching the ocean.
Observations and Simulations of Microplastic Debris in a Tide, Wind, and Freshwater-Driven Estuarine Environment: the Delaware Bay
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers sampled microplastic concentrations in Delaware Bay and used high-resolution numerical modelling to simulate transport of buoyant particles driven by tides, wind, and freshwater inputs, finding average concentrations of 0.19-1.24 pieces/m3 with higher values in the upper bay near the estuarine turbidity maximum. Model results predicted that buoyant microplastic distributions become highly patchy within hours and can vary by a factor of 1000 within a single tidal cycle.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.