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Wind-tide coupling as a key driver of microplastic pathways in the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain)
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Researchers modeled microplastic transport from a wastewater treatment plant in a Spanish estuary using Delft3D, finding that floating particles are exported within 24 hours under upwelling winds and neap tides, while downwelling conditions trap particles inside the estuary, with vertical stratification further modulating transport efficiency.
The accumulation and dispersal of marine plastic debris represent significant challenges for coastal systems, where estuarine hydrodynamics, strongly influenced by tides and wind, play a crucial role in their transport and retention. This study aims to investigate the hydrodynamic mechanisms that control the transport, retention, and export of microplastic particles discharged from the main wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the Ría de Vigo (NW Spain). The methodology followed comprises the use of the Delft3D modelling system to simulate a set of wind and tidal scenarios designed to identify the key processes governing the dispersion of microplastics in this estuarine system. Results show that floating microplastic particles are rapidly exported from the estuary within 24 h after release, emphasizing the strong influence of estuarine hydrodynamics on particle residence time and transport efficiency. Upwelling favorable winds and neap tide conditions promote the most efficient export of microplastic particles toward the adjacent continental shelf, while downwelling conditions enhance particle retention within the estuary. Additionally, vertical stratification modulates transport efficiency: stronger stratification enhances surface advection, while weaker stratification increases mixing and retention. These findings are essential to improve wastewater discharge management and to mitigate microplastic pollution from WWTPs in estuarine environments, providing a scientific basis for developing more effective strategies to reduce microplastic export from estuarine systems to the adjacent coastal ocean.
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Modelling the distribution of microplastics released by wastewater treatment plants in Ria de Vigo (NW Iberian Peninsula)
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Hydrodynamic and particle-tracking models were used to simulate the transport and distribution of microplastics released by wastewater treatment plants in the Ria de Vigo estuary in northwest Spain, finding that tidal and wind-driven currents strongly influence where microplastics accumulate.
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Researchers developed a hydrodynamic model to investigate how estuarine physical processes in the Gironde estuary influence the transport and distribution of microplastics, examining the role of tidal currents, salinity gradients, and fluvial discharge on particle fate. The modelling study provides insight into the mechanisms controlling microplastic accumulation and export in estuarine environments.
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Researchers sampled microplastic concentrations in Delaware Bay and used high-resolution numerical modelling to simulate transport of buoyant particles driven by tides, wind, and freshwater inputs, finding average concentrations of 0.19-1.24 pieces/m3 with higher values in the upper bay near the estuarine turbidity maximum. Model results predicted that buoyant microplastic distributions become highly patchy within hours and can vary by a factor of 1000 within a single tidal cycle.
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Researchers modeled how wind forcing affects the movement and distribution of microplastics in a sensitive coastal water area, finding that wind-driven surface currents are a dominant control on where microplastics accumulate. The model predicts substantial wind-driven concentration at specific coastal zones.
Exposing estuarine regions as microplastic traps: modeling transport pathways and accumulation hotspots in the Minho Estuary (Portugal-Spain)
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Researchers combined field sampling with a Lagrangian particle tracking model in the Minho Estuary to map how river discharge and tidal cycles control microplastic transport, identifying persistent accumulation hotspots and determining the conditions under which the estuary shifts between acting as a source versus a sink for ocean-bound microplastics.
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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.