Understanding how sediment movement affects microplastic deposition in sandy streambeds: A modeling study.

MP of all sizes and densities have been found deposited in streambeds. Several delivery processes were proposed to explain these observations, especially their dynamics, because most information was based on discrete sampling. Only a few studies have attempted to use a wide range of particle sizes to understand how MP moves in streams and rivers. At the same time, no experiments were conducted during bed motion due to the complexity of running such experiments. This study aimed to quantify the effect of streambed motion on the deposition and accumulation of MP in streambed sediments. We used a numerical model that predicts the flow and transport of particles in a moving streambed to quantify MP deposition. The model was run for streamwater velocities of 0.1- 0.5 m s-1 and median grain sizes of 0.15, 0.3, 0.45, and 0.6 mm. Streambed morphodynamics were estimated from empirical relationships. The flow conditions and sediment types resulted in ripple formation with celerities between 0-2000 cm hr-1. MP propensity to become trapped in porous media was simulated using a filtration coefficient. Various filtration coefficients (0.1-1 [1/cm]) were used in the simulations to predict the fate of particles in the sediment. The maximum deposition efficiency and deposition depth were found for sediment with high hydraulic conductivity and slow-moving stream water velocity conditions. Also, we found that the exchange of water and particles due to sediment motion leads to burial and potentially long-term deposition of MPs that initially were not expected to enter the bed due to size exclusion. However, increasing celerity reduces the depth of MP deposition in the streambed and reduces deposition efficiency due to resuspension. The burial of MP beneath the moving fraction of the bed provides a mechanism for long-term accumulation and may explain resuspension events characterized by high MP loads during floods. The modeling results could also assist in developing strategies for streambed sampling since a horizontal layer of particle deposit is expected to form below the moving fraction of the bed.