We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Global ocean beaching pathways of surface drifters
AI summary Read the abstract
Analysis of NOAA surface drifter trajectories revealed that approximately 20% of buoyant objects beach within one year of entering open ocean, with beaching concentrated in coastal hotspots strongly influenced by onshore wind conditions. These findings directly advance understanding of how plastic debris transitions from ocean to shoreline, improving models of microplastic accumulation in coastal and beach environments.
While millions of metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, substantial amounts also continuously wash ashore. In this study we use observations from NOAA's Global Drifter Program to study the pathways by which surface-floating material leaves the open ocean and beaches along coastlines. We analyze trajectories of undrogued drifters as a proxy for buoyant plastic debris and find that approximately 20% of undrogued drifters beach within one year of losing their drogue. Beaching is highly heterogeneous, occurring in distinct coastal hotspots that are connected to large regions of the open ocean. By identifying coherent beaching watersheds, we show that a substantial portion of the ocean surface can produce beaching drifters. We further show that beaching probability depends strongly on coastal winds. For example, drifters are far more likely to beach under onshore winds, and beaching probability increases with the magnitude of the onshore wind component. These results provide insight into global beaching pathways and can be used to improve how beaching is parameterized in large-scale models of plastic debris.
More Papers Like This
Global drifter observations show ocean-surface pathways of wind-driven beaching
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists tracked ocean buoys to figure out where floating plastic debris is most likely to wash up on shore, finding that coastal wind patterns play a huge role — beaches facing onshore winds act like magnets for ocean trash. This matters because it helps identify "hotspot" coastlines most at risk for plastic pollution, which can guide cleanup efforts and improve predictions of where plastic (which breaks down into microplastics that can end up in our food and water) is likely to accumulate.
Pathways of marine debris derived from trajectories of Lagrangian drifters
AI summary Read the abstract
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.
Groundings of Drifters in the Wadden Sea Inform the Transport of Floating Macroplastic
AI summary Read the abstract
A drifter tracking campaign in the Dutch Wadden Sea characterized how tidal and wind conditions govern the frequency and duration of floating plastic groundings on intertidal mudflats and coastlines. The resulting statistical model of coastal plastic interactions can improve predictive transport models and help optimize cleanup operations in tidal environments where microplastics accumulate.
Wind‐Based Estimations of Ocean Surface Currents From Massive Clusters of Drifters in the Gulf of Mexico
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used ocean surface drifter data from the Gulf of Mexico to develop models estimating surface currents from wind measurements. This type of modeling can be applied to predict how microplastic debris disperses across ocean surfaces after entering from river or coastal sources.
Modeling the convergence of buoyant debris in the Indian Ocean: Insights from surface drifter trajectories and Lagrangian simulations
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used six surface drifter trajectories in the Southern Indian Ocean, combined with Lagrangian particle simulations that incorporate Stokes drift, to map a plastic convergence zone in the western basin fed by the Agulhas Return Current and South Equatorial Current—filling a major gap in understanding where buoyant debris accumulates in this under-monitored ocean.
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.