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Modeling the trajectories of floating and non-floating microplastic particles in the water column
Summary
Researchers modeled the trajectories of both floating and non-floating microplastic particles in freshwater and marine water columns, accounting for turbulence-induced mixing, buoyancy differences, and flow characteristics that determine vertical and horizontal distribution. The study highlights that while low-density polymers like polyethylene and polypropylene are expected to concentrate at the surface, turbulent mixing drives significant depth distribution across aquatic environments.
The distribution and movement of microparticles of plastic (MP) in freshwater and marine environments are determined by the characteristics of both MP and the surrounding flow. The most common plastic polymers in the aquatic environment, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, have a density lower than the density of water. Therefore, based only on buoyancy, it is expected that most MP will be present in the surface layers of the aquatic environment. In both freshwater and marine environments, turbulence-induced mixing depends on factors such as velocity gradient and convective flow. Consequently, the surface wind, the deep temperature gradient and the breaking of waves in the surf zone can lead to the formation of turbulence and deep vertical mixing. In such conditions, in addition to gravity and buoyancy, the motion caused by turbulent mixing can affect the vertical transport and distribution of particles. The paper presents the results of modeling Lagrangian trajectories for floating particles and non-floating particles, under wave conditions they correspond to regular waves, while the particle sizes range from 10 microns to 5 mm, and the density ranges from 0.88 to 2.80 g/cm3, which is within some of the most common densities of microplastic particles.