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Transport of Riverine Microplastics in the Arctic Ocean
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This study used 3D numerical ocean circulation models to track how riverine microplastics are transported through the Arctic Ocean, including through sea ice formation and melt. The findings show that microplastics can be carried long distances in the Arctic, where they accumulate in remote regions and enter polar food webs.
Plastic pollution of the ocean is currently one of the most serious environmental threat. Analysis of observations in the Arctic ocean shows that microplastic particles have been found in Arctic snow cover, sea ice, water and sediments. Possible pathways and deposition locations of microplastics in the Arctic Ocean can be assessed based on 3D numerical modeling of thermohaline structure and water circulation, sea ice conditions and drift. The problem is that in addition to transport by currents, a number of other processes affect the state of microplastics. These include mechanical fragmentation, freezing into sea ice and release back into the water, biofouling, adsorption of contaminants and other factors. In this study, based on scenario calculations for a 5-year period, we analyzed the possible spread of microplastics brought by Siberian rivers to the Kara Sea shelf. The Lagrangian particle model used daily 3D numerical simulation data to simulate microplastic transport by ocean currents and by sea ice drift. The results of a series of scenario calculations show how the distribution of particles and their subsequent deposition depend on their type (density), size, processes of freezing into the ice and biofouling.
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Trans-polar drift-pathways of riverine European microplastic
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Researchers used Lagrangian particle simulations to model the transport of buoyant microplastics from northern European rivers through the trans-polar drift to the high Arctic. The study found widespread dispersal along the Eurasian continental shelf, across the North Pole, and back into the Nordic Seas, with accumulation zones identified over multi-year timescales. The findings reveal how riverine microplastics from Europe can reach remote Arctic regions through ocean current pathways.
Numerical Study of the Riverine Microplastic Distribution in the Arctic Ocean
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This numerical study modeled the spread of microplastics carried by Siberian rivers into the Arctic Ocean's Kara Sea shelf over a five-year period. The simulations showed that ocean currents and sea ice drift significantly influence microplastic distribution patterns, highlighting the vulnerability of Arctic marine environments to riverine plastic pollution.
Modelling the accumulation and transport of microplastics by sea ice
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This modeling study simulated the accumulation and transport of microplastics by sea ice over time using an ocean circulation model. Researchers found that sea ice acts as a significant vector for concentrating and redistributing microplastics across Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.
Modeling the influence of biogeochemical processes on microplastic transport in the Arctic ocean
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Researchers developed a numerical model of microplastic transport in Arctic Ocean waters that incorporates biological processes including biofouling by microorganisms and ingestion and egestion by zooplankton in their fecal pellets. The model shows that biological processes significantly alter where microplastics accumulate in Arctic seas beyond what physical currents alone would predict.
Modelling the accumulation and transport of microplastics by Arctic sea ice
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Researchers modeled the accumulation and transport of microplastics by Arctic sea ice over a 50-year simulation, finding that sea ice acts as a major temporary reservoir that concentrates and redistributes plastic particles across the Arctic basin. The model predicts that ongoing sea ice decline will alter microplastic transport pathways and release stored particles into the water column.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.