Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

A wave-resolving two-dimensional vertical Lagrangian approach to model microplastic transport in nearshore waters based on TrackMPD 3.0

Researchers developed a wave-resolving model to simulate how microplastics move through nearshore waters, accounting for processes like resuspension from the seabed and turbulence-driven transport. The model successfully reproduced laboratory experiments showing different behavior for floating versus sinking microplastics. This tool could help predict where microplastics accumulate along coastlines and improve understanding of how shoreline environments act as sources or sinks of plastic pollution.

2025 Geoscientific model development 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effets des tourbillons de la zone de déferlement et du cisaillement vertical du courant de retour sur la dispersion des traceurs : approche de modélisation 3D à vagues résolues

Researchers developed a 3D wave-resolved modelling approach to investigate the effects of surf zone eddies and vertical shear of rip currents on the dispersion of tracers in the nearshore zone. The study examined how these hydrodynamic processes influence the transport of microplastics, heavy metals, pathogens, and biological tracers across the surf zone and inner shelf interface.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

Validation of a Lagrangian model for large-scale macroplastic tracer transport using mussel-peg in NW Spain (Ría de Arousa)

Researchers validated a Lagrangian computational model for tracking macroplastic transport in coastal waters by comparing simulated accumulation patterns of mussel-pegs with beach monitoring data in northwestern Spain's Ria de Arousa.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

A wave-resolving 2DV Lagrangian approach to model microplastic transport in the nearshore

This study presents a new computer modeling approach to simulate how both floating and sinking microplastics move through wave-dominated nearshore waters, incorporating realistic turbulence, seafloor interactions, and particle settling. Accurate nearshore transport models are critical for predicting where microplastics accumulate along coastlines, how much re-enters the open ocean, and which beaches and coastal ecosystems face the greatest contamination risk.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Wave-driven current and vortex patterns at an open beach: Insights from phase-resolving numerical computations and Lagrangian measurements

This study analyzed wave-driven current and vortex patterns at an open beach using phase-resolved modeling, providing insights into nearshore hydrodynamics relevant to coastal plastic transport and accumulation patterns.

2024 Coastal Engineering 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Modeling river and urban related microplastic pollution off the southern United States

Researchers used a Lagrangian particle-tracking model coupled with a high-resolution ocean circulation model to simulate the short-term transport and distribution of microplastics entering the Gulf of Mexico from rivers and urban sources along the southern United States coast.

2025 npj Emerging Contaminants
Article Tier 2

Simulation Analysis of the Dispersion of Typical Marine Pollutants by Fusion of Multiple Processes

Researchers developed a multi-process fusion simulation model to analyze the dispersion of typical marine pollutants discharged from coastal industrial and agricultural sources under the influence of ocean currents. The model integrated concentration analysis with parameter optimization and visualization tools to trace pollutant diffusion patterns in coastal water bodies.

2023 Sustainability 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Beaching model for buoyant marine debris in bore-driven swash

Researchers developed a simplified model for buoyant marine debris transport in bore-driven swash zones, improving understanding of how debris beaches and providing a framework for incorporating beaching processes into coastal pollution models.

2023 Flow 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental investigation on the nearshore transport of buoyant microplastic particles

Researchers measured nearshore transport of buoyant microplastic particles and found they travel at near-fluid velocity before wave breaking but accelerate in the surf zone, with lighter particles transported faster, and developed an empirical formula for predicting cross-shore microplastic transport velocities.

2023 Marine Pollution Bulletin 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics Transport and Mixing Mechanisms in the Nearshore Region

This study investigated how waves and nearshore currents mix and transport microplastics in coastal zones, finding that physical oceanographic processes strongly control where microplastics accumulate along shorelines. Understanding nearshore microplastic transport is important for predicting contamination hotspots and designing effective beach cleanup strategies.

2020 Coastal Engineering Proceedings 26 citations
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

Near-Surface Dispersion and Current Observations Using Dye, Drifters, and HF Radar in Coastal Waters

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a physical oceanography study using dye tracers and drifters to investigate near-surface contaminant dispersion mechanisms in coastal waters, focused on Ekman currents and Stokes drift for improving predictive transport models.

2024 Remote Sensing 2 citations
Article Tier 2

A Methodology for the Estimation of Microplastic Concentration in Relation to the Meteorological Forcing and WWTPs Effluents in Urban Coastal Areas

Researchers developed a hydrodynamic modeling approach to estimate how microplastics from wastewater treatment plant effluents are distributed along an urban coastline in Greece, accounting for tides and weather. The methodology offers a way to predict microplastic hotspots in coastal waters and could inform better management of treatment plant discharges.

2020 Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Review 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Wind-tide coupling as a key driver of microplastic pathways in the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain)

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.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Quantifying the Connectivity of Microplastic Pollution in the Texas–Louisiana Coastal Area

Using a Lagrangian particle-tracking model coupled to a 3D hydrodynamic simulation, researchers traced microplastic transport from Texas and Louisiana rivers and bayous to the Gulf of Mexico, finding that higher river flows reduced estuary retention time and increased coastal connectivity. The study identifies how hydrological variability controls microplastic distribution in this high-concentration region.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Comment on gmd-2024-100

Researchers developed an advanced modelling approach combining the SWASH wave model with the TrackMPD particle transport model (v3.0) to simulate the transport and deposition dynamics of both floating and sinking microplastics in nearshore wave-dominated environments. The model addresses key challenges in predicting plastic pollution fate in coastal zones, which act as potential sources or sinks for plastic transport to the open ocean.

2024
Article Tier 2

Reducing uncertainty in dispersal predictions: validation of particle tracking model with drifter data.

Researchers validated a Lagrangian Particle Tracking Model (PTM) against surface drifter data to reduce uncertainty in marine dispersal predictions applicable to microplastic transport and larval connectivity studies, comparing model-predicted particle trajectories with observed drifter paths. The study evaluated how well deterministic PTM approaches capture real dispersal patterns given the complex interactions of wind, wave, and current forcing on particle movement.

2022
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

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

Marine Litter on the Coast of the Algarve: Main Sources and Distribution Using a Modeling Approach

Scientists used a regional ocean circulation model to estimate sources and distribution of marine litter along the Algarve coast of Portugal, finding that local sources combined with offshore currents drive accumulation on beaches. The modeling approach can help target cleanup and prevention efforts in coastal tourism zones.

2021 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Case Study of Contaminant Transport Using Lagrangian Particle Tracking Model in a Macro-Tidal Estuary

Researchers used a Lagrangian particle tracking model to analyze contaminant transport in a macro-tidal estuary, focusing on how tidal creeks and tidal flats influence pollutant dispersal patterns. The hydrodynamic modeling revealed that tidal dynamics play a major role in determining where and how fast contaminants spread through estuarine systems.

2024 Water 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Near-Surface Dispersion and Current Observations by Dye, Drifter, and HF Radar in Coastal Water

Researchers explored near-surface dispersion mechanisms of contaminants in coastal waters using an integrated approach combining dye tracers, surface drifters, and high-frequency radar observations. The multi-method study characterized current patterns and dispersion dynamics relevant to understanding how pollutants including microplastics spread in nearshore marine environments.

2024 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulating the distribution of beached litter on the northwest coast of Scotland

Researchers combined Marine Conservation Society citizen-science beach-clean data with hydrodynamic and particle-tracking models to simulate the distribution of beached plastic litter along the sparsely populated northwest coast of Scotland, using the Clyde Sea as a source region to investigate transport pathways across complex island and sea-loch coastlines.

2022 Frontiers in Environmental Science 11 citations
Article Tier 2

First Steps towards a near Real-Time Modelling System of Vibrio vulnificus in the Baltic Sea

Researchers developed initial steps toward a near real-time modeling system for Vibrio vulnificus in the Baltic Sea, testing hydrodynamic and biogeochemical model data as inputs to predict pathogen concentrations along the German coast.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 8 citations