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Analysis of microplastic behaviors in river-type lakes using a quasi-three-dimensional microplastic transport model
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Researchers developed a quasi-3D Lagrangian particle-tracking model to simulate microplastic transport in South Korea's Paldang Lake, finding that horizontal shear-driven dispersion dominates over vertical settling, and that hydropeaking operations and river inflow momentum strongly control where and how long microplastics remain in this major drinking water reservoir.
Paldang Lake in South Korea is a river-type lake characterized by weak temperature stratification and a short water residence time. It exhibits complex flow structures resulting from the convergence of two major rivers, the North Han River (NHR) and the South Han River (SHR), and one small river, the Gyeongan Stream. Analyzing the spatio-temporal variations in microplastic (MP) concentration in Paldang Lake is important because of its significance as a water supply source for the metropolitan area. In this study, a quasi-three-dimensional MP transport model (MPT-Q3D) based on the Lagrangian particle-tracking technique was developed to analyze the trajectory and concentration distribution of MPs driven by shear dispersion in river-type lakes. Using the simulation results of MPT-Q3D, which were validated with MP monitoring data and EFDC simulations, we investigated the spatio-temporal variations in MP concentration during both low-flow and flood-flow periods. Simulation results showed that horizontal transport by shear flow contributed more to MP transport than vertical transport, including settling movements based on MP density. Thus, the MP transport during the low-flow period was significantly influenced by the recirculating flow induced by hydropeaking of the NHR, as well as flow blockage caused by the strong inflow momentum from the SHR. During the flood-flow period, flood discharge from the three tributary rivers had an equal influence on MP transport and the variation in MP concentrations around the water intake facilities. Furthermore, the MP residence time was primarily affected by variations in the flow characteristics of the inflowing tributaries rather than the properties of the MP types. Analysis of the influx and efflux of MPs in Paldang Lake revealed that polypropylene was the predominant constituent, accounting for 53.9 % and 75.2 % of all residual MPs during the low-flow and flood-flow periods, respectively.
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