We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Short-term buoyant microplastic transport patterns driven by wave evolution, breaking, and orbital motion in coast
Summary
This study used laboratory wave-tank experiments to examine short-term buoyant microplastic transport driven by wave evolution, breaking, and orbital motion in coastal zones, finding that wave dynamics play a significant role in nearshore microplastic distribution.
Recently, there has been a notable rise in social and scientific interest regarding microplastic pollution in coasts where waves significantly influence flow patterns and material transport. This study explores typical short-term movement of buoyant microplastics driven by surf zone processes including wave transformation, breaking, and orbital motion. To track microplastics, Lagrangian Particle Tracking Model (PTM) coupled with Eulerian wave-current interaction model appropriate for coastal hydrodynamics was used. From the simulations, several important findings were observed. (i) In alongshore uniform beaches, lighter and larger buoyant microplastics tended to reach beach more readily. (ii) Accurate predictions of microplastic transport in the surf zone required the consideration of wave breaking. (iii) In alongshore non-uniform coastal bathymetry, rip-currents can send buoyant microplastics offshore, beyond the surf zone.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
A laboratory experiment on the effect of waves on the transport and dispersion of macro, meso, and microplastics in the surf zone
This laboratory wave tank experiment examined how waves in the surf zone transport and spread macro-, meso-, and microplastics. Waves caused rapid horizontal and vertical mixing of plastic particles, suggesting that coastal wave action significantly influences where plastic debris concentrates along shorelines.
Experimental study of non-buoyant microplastic transport beneath breaking irregular waves on a live sediment bed
Researchers conducted wave-flume experiments showing that non-buoyant microplastics are transported shoreward under breaking irregular waves, with their cross-shore distribution influenced by wave energy, particle density, and sediment bed dynamics.
Experimental investigation on the nearshore transport of buoyant microplastic particles
Researchers measured nearshore transport of buoyant microplastic particles and found they travel at near-fluid velocity before wave breaking but accelerate in the surf zone, with lighter particles transported faster, and developed an empirical formula for predicting cross-shore microplastic transport velocities.
A Simplified Experimental Method to Estimate the Transport of Non-Buoyant Plastic Particles Due to Waves by 2D Image Processing
Not a microplastics paper in the strict sense — this study develops and validates an image-processing method to track the movement of non-buoyant plastic debris particles under wave action in a laboratory wave tank, advancing the physical modeling tools used to predict where plastic pollution accumulates in coastal environments.
Microplastics Transport and Mixing Mechanisms in the Nearshore Region
This study investigated how waves and nearshore currents mix and transport microplastics in coastal zones, finding that physical oceanographic processes strongly control where microplastics accumulate along shorelines. Understanding nearshore microplastic transport is important for predicting contamination hotspots and designing effective beach cleanup strategies.