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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Modeling the transport of microplastics along river networks
ClearOn modeling the fate of microplastics along river networks
Researchers developed and applied a modeling framework to simulate the fate and transport of microplastics along river network systems, treating rivers as key conduits transferring land-based microplastic pollution to marine environments. The model accounted for particle ingestion risks to aquatic organisms and evaluated the long-term persistence and transport dynamics of microplastics across freshwater networks.
Modeling microplastic dynamics in riverine systems: fate and transport analysis
Researchers developed a computer model to simulate how microplastics travel through river systems, accounting for how they enter from human activities and how they settle, resuspend, and deposit along riverbanks. The model was applied to the Tame River in the UK using four different scenarios based on plastic particle types like fibers, fragments, and pellets. The study provides a tool for predicting where microplastics accumulate in rivers, which could help target cleanup and monitoring efforts.
Dispersal and transport of microplastic particles under different flow conditions in riverine ecosystem
Researchers developed a particle-tracking model combined with hydrodynamic simulation to study how microplastics travel through river systems under different water flow conditions. They found that flow speed, turbulence, and river channel features significantly influence where microplastics accumulate and how far they travel. The study provides a useful tool for predicting microplastic transport patterns and identifying pollution hotspots in river ecosystems.
Microplastic transport in European river networks
Researchers estimated the average annual load of microplastics transported to seas and oceans from 125 European catchments by coupling a mass balance model with a graph-theory river network model incorporating wastewater treatment plant effluents, surface runoff, and combined sewer overflows.
Modelling Microplastic Transport in River Systems Using the SWAT Hydrological Model
Researchers developed a novel modelling approach using the SWAT hydrological model to simulate microplastic transport through river basin systems, integrating hydrological and physical plastic properties. The model provides a tool for understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater microplastic pollution to support mitigation planning.
Exploring the Sensitivity of Microplastic Accumulation Zones in Rivers Using High-Performance Particle Transport Modelling
Researchers applied high-performance particle transport modelling to explore the sensitivity of microplastic accumulation zones in rivers, identifying key hydrodynamic factors that govern where microplastics concentrate. The modelling approach provides a tool for predicting hotspot areas of microplastic deposition in fluvial environments.
The role of water management and its effect on microplastic transport and fate
Researchers examined how water management practices affect the transport and fate of microplastics in river networks, which serve as both conduits and sinks for plastic pollution. The study found that flow regulation and water management interventions significantly influence how far microplastics travel and where they accumulate.
Rivers as Conduits: A Comprehensive Model of Microplastic Fate and Transport
This study developed a comprehensive model of microplastic fate and transport in rivers, integrating processes of erosion, resuspension, sedimentation, and burial to simulate how microplastics move through river networks toward the ocean.
Exploring Macroplastic Transport and Retention Dynamics in Country-Wide River Networks
This modeling study examined how macroplastic debris is transported and retained in river networks across an entire country. The research found that riverbanks and floodplains trap large amounts of plastic debris, revealing complex dynamics that influence how much plastic ultimately reaches the ocean.
Modeling impacts of river hydrodynamics on fate and transport of microplastics in riverine environments
Researchers built a computer model to simulate how microplastics travel and transform in river systems, accounting for particle aggregation and breakage driven by water flow. They found that microplastics clump together significantly in the early stages after entering a river, which changes the size distribution of particles flowing downstream. The study suggests that river conditions play a major role in determining what size and form of microplastics eventually reach the ocean.
Predicting microplastic masses in river networks with high spatial resolution at country level
Scientists built a computer model to predict microplastic levels in every section of Switzerland's rivers and lakes for seven different plastic types. They found that the amount of microplastics in any given spot depends heavily on local features like nearby lakes, land use, and river connections, not just population density. This kind of detailed mapping helps identify pollution hotspots and assess where human exposure through drinking water might be highest.
Analytical Modeling of Microplastic Transport in Rivers: Incorporating Sinking, Removal, and Multi-Phase Dynamics
Scientists developed better computer models to track how tiny plastic particles move through rivers on their way to the ocean. The new models show that many microplastics actually sink and get trapped in river sediments rather than flowing straight to the sea, which means we've been underestimating plastic pollution on river bottoms where fish and other wildlife live. This matters because it helps us better understand where microplastics accumulate in the environment and could eventually enter our food chain through seafood and drinking water.
A Lagrangian Model for Microplastics Transport in Rivers
Researchers developed a Lagrangian computational model to simulate how microplastics are transported through river systems, accounting for particle buoyancy, turbulence, and settling behavior. The model provides a tool for predicting microplastic fate and accumulation in freshwater environments.
A numerical model of microplastic transport for fluvial systems
Researchers developed a reduced-complexity numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in fluvial systems, applying it to the river Têt in France and finding that a large proportion of microplastics become entrained in river sediments before reaching the ocean.
A numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition for fluvial systems
Researchers developed a numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition in river systems, finding that rivers act as temporary sinks trapping significant fractions of MPs before they reach the ocean, with implications for estimating marine MP loading from terrestrial sources.
Modified Stochastic Model for Settling and Rising Microplastic Transport in Open Channel Flows
Scientists created a new computer model to better predict how tiny plastic particles move through rivers and streams. Unlike previous models that assumed all particles sink like dirt and sand, this new model accounts for the fact that some microplastics float upward because they're lighter than water. This better understanding of where microplastics end up in waterways could help protect drinking water sources and reduce human exposure to plastic pollution.
Modelling the Fate of Microplastics in river bed sediments.
Researchers modeled the fate of microplastics deposited in river bed sediments, examining how hydrological conditions influence their distribution, burial, and potential for downstream transport. The models revealed that river bed sediments act as significant long-term reservoirs for microplastic pollution.
Revising the role of discharge in global river plastic transport
Researchers propose that the amount of plastic available for transport — determined by human activity and plastic stockpiles on land — limits how much plastic rivers carry to the ocean, not the river's water flow as previously assumed. This shift in thinking reshapes global plastic pollution models and helps identify better targets for reducing plastic reaching the sea.
Mathematical modeling of microplastic abundance, distribution, and transport in water environments: A review
This review surveys mathematical models used to predict how microplastics move through and accumulate in rivers and oceans. Researchers categorized existing approaches by environment type and modeling method, identifying strengths and gaps in current simulation tools. The study highlights the need for better models that account for real-world complexity, including particle fragmentation and biofouling, to improve predictions of where microplastics end up.
Catchment-scale mechanistic predictions of microplastic transport and distribution across land and water
Researchers developed the first catchment-scale model successfully predicting microplastic transport from land to water, validated against field data, revealing how soil accumulation, runoff dynamics, and in-stream transport interact to determine where microplastics concentrate before reaching the ocean.