We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Settling Velocity of Microplastics Exposed to Wave Action
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how wave action affects the settling velocity of microplastic debris, finding that hydrodynamic forces from waves alter the transport and deposition behavior of microplastics in marine environments.
Microplastic (MP) debris is recognized to be one of the most serious threats to marine environments. They are found in all seas and oceanic basins worldwide, even in the most remote areas. This is further proof that the transport of MPs is very efficient. In the present study, we focus our attention on MPs’ transport owing to the Stokes drift generated by sea waves. Recent studies have shown that the interaction between heavy particles and Stokes drift leads to unexpected phenomena mostly related to inertial effects. We perform a series of laboratory experiments with the aim to directly measure MPs’ trajectories under different wave conditions. The main objective is to quantify the inertial effect and, ultimately, suggest a new analytical formulation for the net settling velocity. The latter formula might be implemented in a larger scale transport model in order to account for inertial effects in a simplified approach.
More Papers Like This
Effect of Surface Waves on Settling and Drifting of Microplastic Particles: A Laboratory Experiment
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers conducted laboratory wave-channel experiments to study the trajectories, settling velocities, and drift velocities of microplastic particles of varying shapes (isometric, flat, elongated) under surface wave and wind-driven current conditions, finding terminal settling velocities of 1.0-3.8 cm/s in still fluid and characterizing how wave action modifies transport behavior.
Impact of microplastic pollution on breaking waves
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how the presence of microplastics affects the dynamics and dissipation of breaking ocean waves, finding that microplastics alter wave characteristics at high concentrations. The study highlights a physical interaction between plastic pollution and ocean surface processes.
Settling of finite-size slightly negatively particles under plunging breaking waves
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studying how tiny plastic particles behave in crashing ocean waves found that breaking waves keep microplastics suspended in water much longer than calm water would, sinking at less than half the speed they normally would. This matters because the longer microplastics stay mixed in the water near the surface, the more time they spend where marine life feeds and where they're more likely to enter the food chain that eventually reaches our plates.
Settling of plastic particles under the simultaneous action of surface waves and wind: preliminary results from laboratory experiments
AI summary Read the abstract
Laboratory experiments investigated how surface waves and wind together affect the movement and settling of plastic particles in coastal waters. The results showed that wave action can keep lighter plastic particles suspended longer than wind alone would suggest, complicating predictions of where plastics will accumulate. Better models of plastic transport under stormy conditions are needed to understand coastal plastic pollution patterns.
Transport and sedimentation of microplastics by turbidity currents: Dependence on suspended sediment concentration and grain size
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used laboratory experiments to study how turbidity currents, underwater flows of sediment-laden water, transport and deposit microplastics on the ocean floor. They found that higher sediment concentrations carried microplastics farther, and finer sediment grains enhanced transport distances compared to coarser ones. The findings suggest that both the properties of the sediment flow and the shape and density of microplastic particles play important roles in determining where plastics end up in marine sediments.
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.