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Identifying the origins of nanoplastics in the abyssal South Atlantic using backtracking Lagrangian simulations with fragmentation
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Researchers used a Lagrangian 3D model incorporating fragmentation processes to backtrack nanoplastic particles (identified as PET-like by photo-induced force microscopy) sampled at 5,170 m depth in the South Atlantic abyssal zone to identify their likely ocean surface origins. The fragmentation scheme strongly influenced particle drift trajectories by affecting sinking velocity, and the analysis found it highly unlikely the particles entered the ocean already as nanoplastics, contributing to understanding of deep-sea nanoplastic sources.
During an expedition in January 2019, nanoplastics were sampled at a depth of −5,170 m over Cape Basin, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Using photo-induced force microscopy, it was suggested that these were polyethylene terephthalate (PET-like) particles with various sizes down to 100 nm, at different stages of degradation. By using a state-of-the-art Lagrangian 3D model, which includes fragmentation, we backtracked virtual particles to map the origin of the PET nanoplastics sampled at this location. Fragmentation processes are crucial to understanding the origin of nanoplastics (and microplastics) because they allow for detecting when and where particles become so small that they transition to a colloidal state, in which the buoyant force becomes negligible. We found that it is very unlikely that the nanoplastic particles entered the ocean as nanoplastics and then drifted to the sampling location. We also found that the fragmentation scheme, particularly the fragmentation timescale prescribed to the modeled particles, affects how they drift in the ocean by the velocity with which they sink. This study contributes to understanding the fate and sources of nanoplastics in the deep ocean and the development of 3D backtracking simulations for source attribution of ocean plastic.
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Identifying the Origins of PET Nanoplastics in the Abyssal South Atlantic Using Backtracking Lagrangian Simulations with Fragmentation
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used Lagrangian ocean simulations to backtrack PET nanoplastics found at 5,170 meters depth in the South Atlantic Ocean to their likely sources. The modeling suggested the particles originated from coastal areas and were transported to the deep sea through ocean circulation over years to decades. The findings demonstrate that nanoplastics can reach the deepest parts of the ocean far from their land-based origins.
Backtracking nanoplastics found in the abyssal South Atlantic using Lagrangian simulations with fragmentation
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Using ocean current modeling, researchers traced nanoplastics collected at 5,170 meters depth in the South Atlantic abyssal zone back to their likely origin, identifying sources in West African and South American coastal regions. The modeling showed that these deep-sea nanoplastics had traveled thousands of kilometers while also fragmenting into smaller particles during transport. The study provides evidence that nanoplastics can reach even the deepest ocean trenches through a combination of current transport and progressive fragmentation.
Supporting Data for "Identifying the Origins of Nanoplastics in the Abyssal South Atlantic Using Backtracking Lagrangian Simulations with Fragmentation"
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Researchers provided supporting simulation data and analysis code for a study tracing the origins of nanoplastics found in the abyssal South Atlantic Ocean using backtracking Lagrangian particle simulations that incorporated plastic fragmentation dynamics. The repository includes the computational tools and supplementary documentation used in the associated manuscript.
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This thesis advances understanding of nanoplastic origins, transport, and fate in the ocean using numerical Lagrangian simulations, computing virtual particle trajectories to reconstruct transport pathways, infer pollution sources, and assess accumulation dynamics of nanoplastics in marine environments.
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