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Uncovering microplastic surface transport pathways in the North Sea using Lagrangian coherent structures
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This thesis used Lagrangian coherent structures — mathematical features of ocean flow — to identify the dominant pathways for microplastic transport across the surface of the North Sea. Understanding how ocean currents concentrate and move microplastics helps predict where marine life faces the highest exposure risk.
Microplastics in the ocean have the potential to be ingested by marine life, enter both the human and wildlife food chain, and release chemicals through plastic degradation. Due to their small size (less than 5mm), they have the ability to be transported great distances through various ocean dynamics. Often caused by global current systems and surface wind stresses, these dynamics can form transport barriers; persistent structures in the ocean where matter is unable to cross. Such features have the potential to reveal where vast amounts of microplastics collect on the surface. At the core of these attraction zones are conduits for strong downwelling through which plastics settle on the ocean floor. To study this transport, it is necessary to perform a Lagrangian analysis, which takes into account the particles full trajectory. The Finite-Time Lyapunov Exponent (FTLE) assesses the local stretching, where the highest FTLE values indicate potential transport barriers. This approach, applied to twenty-eight months of ocean forecasts, has been used to analyze surface movement on the North Sea. A seasonal analysis with and without the inclusion of wind stresses uncovered a substantial transport barrier above the Norwegian Trench; a deep canyon that runs adjacent to the West Coast of Norway. Most prominent during the winter and relatively irrespective of surface wind, this feature acts as an obstruction to particles travelling to and from the Norwegian Coast. The presence of this barrier has been further demonstrated by the release and advection of simulated particles near coastal cities. The detection of this feature, in addition to transport barriers elsewhere, will help locate surface accumulations of microplastics and ultimately lead to their extraction and disposal.
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This thesis applied clustering algorithms to identify Lagrangian Coherent Structures — invisible boundaries in ocean currents that control the transport of particles — with implications for tracking the spread of microplastics and oil spills. The approach offers a new mathematical framework for understanding how ocean dynamics concentrate or disperse floating pollutants.
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Researchers applied Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS) — mathematical tools that map invisible transport barriers in fluid flow — to predict the fate of floating marine debris in Moreton Bay, Australia, showing that wind and islands significantly redirect debris pathways and that LCS can guide practical marine litter management.
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Researchers applied Lagrangian particle tracking methods to study transport pathways and coherent flow structures in the Arctic Ocean, including analysis of material drift during the MOSAiC expedition. This study provides insights into how ocean circulation patterns control the redistribution of floating material including sea ice, nutrients, and potentially microplastics across the Arctic basin.
Spreading of floating marine microplastics
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Lagrangian particle trajectory simulations tracked how microplastics released anywhere in the North Sea are ultimately transported into the Norwegian Coastal Current and advected northward. The modeling results provide insight into long-range transport pathways for microplastics in European shelf seas.
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Researchers applied a probabilistic model to global satellite-tracked ocean drifter trajectories to map marine debris pathways, identifying five subtropical convergence zones maintained by Ekman currents where floating debris — including microplastics — preferentially accumulates, confirming predictions with direct ocean surface measurements.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.