Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Three-dimensional numerical modelling of transport, fate and distribution of microplastics in the northwestern Arabian/Persian Gulf

Three-dimensional numerical modeling was used to simulate transport, fate, and distribution of microplastics in the Arabian/Persian Gulf, a semi-enclosed sea with high plastic pollution concern. The model predicted spatial accumulation zones and identified coastal areas with elevated microplastic concentrations based on oceanographic circulation patterns.

2020 Marine Pollution Bulletin 57 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of wind forcing on microplastics kinematic in a sensitive water area

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.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulation of microplastic transport and dispersion based on a three-dimensional hydrodynamic particle-tracking model in the Beibu Gulf

Researchers developed a three-dimensional hydrodynamic particle-tracking model of microplastic transport in the semi-enclosed Beibu Gulf, finding that monsoon-driven circulation controls dispersal patterns, with microplastics dispersing up to 205 km in spring and storm surges such as Typhoon Yagi significantly intensifying transport and expanding nearshore high-concentration zones.

2025 Frontiers in Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the Eastern Arabian Sea: Decision support tools for monitoring and environmental risk reduction

Researchers quantified microplastic concentrations in the Eastern Arabian Sea, finding a mean of 0.13 particles per cubic metre (range 0.02-0.71), and used hydrodynamic and particle tracking models to assess the fate and distribution of microplastics in coastal environments. The study developed decision support tools and contamination indices to assist monitoring and environmental risk reduction strategies in the region.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Perspectives on transport pathways of microplastics across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

Researchers reviewed how microplastics move through the Middle East and North Africa region, tracing ocean currents and wind patterns across the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, and Mediterranean Sea to map seasonal delivery patterns. The analysis reveals that transport routes vary significantly by location and season, providing guidance for governments and researchers developing pollution mitigation strategies.

2024 npj Clean Water 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Pelagic microplastics in surface water of the Eastern Indian Ocean during monsoon transition period: Abundance, distribution, and characteristics

Pelagic microplastic concentrations were measured in surface water of the eastern Indian Ocean at 36 stations during monsoon and non-monsoon seasons. The study found spatial variation linked to ocean circulation patterns, expanding knowledge of open-ocean microplastic distribution in one of the least-studied major ocean regions.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 127 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Indian Ocean Dynamics on Accumulation of Buoyant Debris

Researchers used ocean circulation modeling to investigate the role of Indian Ocean dynamics in accumulating buoyant marine plastic debris, examining how Ekman convergence and regional current patterns shape the distribution of floating debris in the Indian Ocean subtropical gyre.

2019 Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulation of seasonal transport of microplastics and influencing factors in the China Seas based on the ROMS model

Researchers used ocean circulation modeling to simulate how microplastics are transported across the China Seas during different seasons. The study found that microplastic pathways and distributions vary markedly with seasonal circulation patterns, with the longest transport distances occurring in summer when particles from the Pearl River could travel over 1,375 kilometers, while in autumn and winter more than three-quarters of microplastics beached along the south-central Chinese coast.

2023 Water Research 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of Near‐Surface Currents on the Global Dispersal of Marine Microplastic

An ocean circulation model incorporating biological and physical processes found that near-surface currents, including wind-driven surface drift and wave-induced mixing, play a major role in dispersing buoyant microplastics globally, with plastic accumulating preferentially in subtropical convergence zones. The model improves understanding of how ocean physics shapes global microplastic distribution patterns.

2019 Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans 148 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate of microplastics and mesoplastics carried by surface currents and wind waves: A numerical model approach in the Sea of Japan

A particle-tracking ocean model for the Sea of Japan showed that surface currents, wind waves, and Stokes drift all influence the distribution of floating microplastics, with model outputs matching field survey data. The study demonstrates the value of combining wave dynamics with current models to predict where microplastics accumulate in coastal seas.

2017 Marine Pollution Bulletin 208 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Patch Based on HydrodynamicModeling in The North Indramayu, Java Sea

Hydrodynamic modeling was used to track microplastic transport in the Java Sea off North Indramayu, Indonesia, predicting accumulation zones influenced by tidal currents and seasonal winds. The study provides a modeling framework for understanding microplastic distribution in Indonesian coastal waters, which receive high plastic inputs from land.

2018 Polish Journal of Environmental Studies 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Distribution Characteristics Considering the Marine Environment Based on Surface Seawater Quality Parameters in Southern Sea of Korea, 2019

Researchers analyzed microplastic distribution characteristics in marine environments using spatial modeling, identifying accumulation zones and transport pathways driven by ocean currents, depth, and particle density.

2024 Sustainability 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Characteristics, behaviour and fluxes of microplastics in the coastal boundary zones of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

This study characterized the behavior and fluxes of microplastics in the coastal boundary zone, tracking how MPs move between nearshore waters, beach sediments, and the open sea under different hydrodynamic conditions.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution of microplastics in the Gulf of Cadiz as a function of their density: A Lagrangian modelling approach

Researchers coupled a Lagrangian transport model to a high-resolution hydrodynamic model to analyze microplastic distribution in the Gulf of Cadiz, finding that low-density plastics accumulate near estuary sources while high-density particles sink rapidly, with the Guadalquivir and Guadiana estuaries as the dominant input pathways.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulation of seasonal transport of microplastics and influencing factors inthe China Seas based on the ROMS model

Researchers used the Regional Ocean Modeling System combined with the LTRANS Lagrangian transport model to simulate seasonal microplastic transport throughout the China Seas, finding that circulation patterns, river discharge, and particle properties drive marked seasonal variations in microplastic pathways and spatial distribution.

2024
Article Tier 2

Wind‐Based Estimations of Ocean Surface Currents From Massive Clusters of Drifters in the Gulf of Mexico

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.

2019 Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification and physico-chemical characterization of microplastics in marine aerosols over the northeast Arabian Sea

Researchers collected and analyzed airborne microplastics over the northeast Arabian Sea during two sampling campaigns and found microplastics present in marine aerosols at all locations. Fibers were the most common form, primarily made of polyethylene and polypropylene, likely originating from land-based sources transported by wind. The study provides important baseline data on atmospheric microplastic pollution over open ocean regions that had not been previously measured.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Global microplastic emission and deposition fluxes at the ocean-atmosphere interface

Researchers used the NEMO-PISCES ocean circulation model to estimate global ocean surface microplastic concentrations and then fed these into the FLEXPART Lagrangian atmospheric dispersion model to simulate microplastic sea spray emissions and their deposition at 6-hourly resolution over one year. The study produced a global map of atmospheric microplastic cycling from marine origins, identifying main emission zones, seasonal variability, and deposition fluxes on both land and ocean surfaces.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The Role of Ekman Currents, Geostrophy, and Stokes Drift in the Accumulation of Floating Microplastic

Researchers modeled the roles of Ekman currents, geostrophic flow, Stokes drift, and mesoscale eddies in concentrating floating microplastic in subtropical gyres, finding that wind-driven Ekman transport is the dominant accumulation mechanism.

2019 Journal of Geophysical Research Oceans 262 citations
Article Tier 2

River and Urban-Related Microplastic Pollution in the Gulf of America: A Modeling Study

Researchers used a Lagrangian particle-tracking model coupled with a high-resolution 1 km three-dimensional regional ocean model to investigate microplastic pollution dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico, focusing on inputs from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system and coastal wastewater treatment plant discharges. The modelling study mapped MP transport pathways and accumulation zones in a biologically critical marine environment under multiple emission scenarios.

2025
Article Tier 2

A particle tracking model approach to determine the dispersal of riverine plastic debris released into the Indian Ocean

Researchers developed a particle tracking model to simulate the dispersal of riverine plastic debris released into the Indian Ocean from surrounding landmasses. The study found that plastic accumulation on beaches peaked during monsoon seasons, with ocean currents, wind, and wave action driving distinct transport patterns, providing valuable data for identifying high-risk coastal areas and informing cleanup strategies.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatial distribution of microplastics in sandy beach and inshore-offshore sediments of the southern Caspian Sea

This study documented microplastic distribution in both nearshore and offshore sediments of the southern Caspian Sea, finding that offshore areas also contain microplastics and that currents and wind patterns influence their spatial distribution.

2021 Marine Pollution Bulletin 50 citations
Article Tier 2

Pathways and Hot Spots of Floating and Submerged Microplastics in Atlantic Iberian Marine Waters: A Modelling Approach

Researchers combined a global ocean reanalysis model with a Lagrangian particle-tracking model to simulate the transport pathways and accumulation zones of both floating and submerged microplastics originating from southwestern Iberian coastal waters. The modelling approach identified key hotspots and transport corridors for microplastic pollution in Atlantic Iberian marine waters.

2022 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Atmospheric Transport of Microplastics over Asia and Adjacent Oceans

Researchers developed an atmospheric transport model for microplastics over Asia, estimating annual emissions of 310 gigagrams and finding that atmospheric transport efficiently carries microplastics from land sources to remote ocean regions across the Pacific and Indian oceans.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 96 citations