Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Uncovering microplastic surface transport pathways in the North Sea using Lagrangian coherent structures

This thesis used Lagrangian coherent structures — mathematical features of ocean flow — to identify the dominant pathways for microplastic transport across the surface of the North Sea. Understanding how ocean currents concentrate and move microplastics helps predict where marine life faces the highest exposure risk.

2019
Article Tier 2

Extraction of persistent lagrangian coherent structures for the pollutant transport prediction in the Bay of Bengal

Researchers mapped long-term ocean circulation patterns in the Bay of Bengal using 24 years of current and wind data to identify persistent flow structures (called Lagrangian Coherent Structures) that control where pollutants travel. These maps were validated against real oil spill satellite imagery and could be used to predict where future oil spills — or floating plastic debris — would accumulate.

2024 Scientific Reports 5 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

Pathways of marine debris derived from trajectories of Lagrangian drifters

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.

2011 Marine Pollution Bulletin 661 citations
Article Tier 2

Material and debris transport patterns in Moreton Bay, Australia: The influence of Lagrangian coherent structures

Researchers applied Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS) — mathematical tools that map invisible transport barriers in fluid flow — to predict the fate of floating marine debris in Moreton Bay, Australia, showing that wind and islands significantly redirect debris pathways and that LCS can guide practical marine litter management.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Seasonality of Marine Litter Hotspots in the Wider Caribbean Region

Researchers used marine plastic litter tracking simulations to identify seasonal hotspots of plastic accumulation in the Wider Caribbean Region, which has one of the highest plastic concentrations in the world's oceans. The study found that hotspot locations shift substantially with season, with implications for targeted cleanup and monitoring strategies.

2024 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 9 citations
Article Tier 2

A Regional Lagrangian Model for Assessing the Dispersion of Floating Macroplastics from Different Source Types over the Iberian Peninsula in the North Atlantic Ocean

Researchers used a validated Lagrangian model to track floating macroplastics entering the North Atlantic from rivers, land-based sources, and maritime traffic along Spain's Atlantic coast, finding significant plastic concentrations near the coastline and at medium distances over a seven-year simulation period.

2023
Article Tier 2

Marine microplastics analysis and their transport in the water column of the Canary Islands region

Researchers characterized marine microplastics in the water column of the Canary Islands, tracking how ocean currents and physical processes transport particles vertically and horizontally. The study found that particle properties and oceanographic conditions jointly determine where microplastics accumulate in the water column.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Macroplastic fate and transport in an Amazonian Estuarine System: A Lagrangian Modelling Approach

Scientists used computer models to track how large plastic waste travels from the city of Belém, Brazil through rivers and waterways to the ocean. They found that plastic pollution gets stuck in certain areas during low water periods but moves quickly to the ocean during high water periods, creating pollution hotspots near the city. This research helps identify where plastic waste accumulates so communities can better target cleanup efforts and prevent this pollution from reaching the ocean and potentially entering our food chain.

2026
Article Tier 2

Modeling the Pathways and Accumulation Patterns of Micro- and Macro-Plastics in the Mediterranean

A basin-scale hydrodynamic model tracked plastic debris pathways in the Mediterranean Sea, showing that coastal currents concentrate plastics in the northwestern basin and that both riverine inputs and sea-based sources contribute substantially to the distribution hotspots observed at the surface.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 86 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

Global mapping for the occurrence of all-sized microplastics in seafloor sediments

Researchers developed code for extracting ocean surface current and near-bed thermohaline current data to analyze the hydrodynamic driving forces behind global microplastic distribution patterns in seafloor sediments.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Lagrangian Transport of Marine Litter in the Mediterranean Sea

Researchers analyzed the largest available set of Lagrangian drift data from the Mediterranean Sea to model floating litter transport, finding a general tendency for plastic debris to accumulate in the southern and southeastern Levantine basin — areas not yet targeted by observational campaigns.

2017 Frontiers in Environmental Science 136 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic trajectories and fates in the Canary Current System using TrackMPD

Researchers applied the TrackMPD Lagrangian modeling framework to explore how physical processes including ocean currents and particle properties control microplastic trajectories and fates in the Canary Current System, releasing virtual particles upstream of the Canary Islands using Atlantic-Iberian Biscay Irish operational ocean model fields.

2024
Article Tier 2

Numerical Modelling of Plastic Debris Transport and Accumulation throughout Portuguese Coast

Researchers applied numerical modelling to simulate the transport and accumulation of plastic debris along the Portuguese coast, assessing how ocean currents drive microplastic dispersal and deposition patterns in this Atlantic coastal region. The study contributes spatial predictions of plastic accumulation hotspots to inform monitoring and management strategies.

2020 Journal of Coastal Research 21 citations
Article Tier 2

The dynamics of microplastics and associated contaminants: Data-driven Lagrangian and Eulerian modelling approaches in the Mediterranean Sea

Researchers compared Lagrangian and Eulerian data-driven modelling approaches to simulate microplastic dispersal and associated organic pollutant transport in the Mediterranean Sea, finding that adsorption-desorption dynamics between microplastics and hydrophobic contaminants must be coupled for accurate pollution assessment.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulation of the transport of marine microplastic particles in the Ionian Archipelago (NE Ionian Sea) using a Lagrangian model and the control mechanisms affecting their transport

Researchers used a Lagrangian particle-tracking model to simulate microplastic transport in the Ionian Archipelago, finding that oceanographic currents drove significant dispersal of particles released from coastal population centers, with implications for biodiversity in this ecologically sensitive part of the Mediterranean.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 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 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

Impacts of changing ocean circulation on the distribution of marine microplastic litter

Researchers modelled the impact of changing ocean circulation on the distribution of marine microplastics, examining how projected shifts in current patterns may alter the accumulation zones and transport pathways of plastic particles measuring less than 5 mm.

2017 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic dynamics and risk projections in West African coastal areas: Developing a vulnerability index, adverse ecological pathways, and mitigation framework using remote-sensed oceanographic profiles

Researchers analyzed microplastic dynamics along West African coastal areas using remote-sensed oceanographic data from 2019 to 2024. They developed a vulnerability index to assess ecological risk and identified key environmental factors driving microplastic transport in the region. The study proposes a mitigation framework to help coastal communities and policymakers address this growing pollution challenge.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine Debris Pathway Across Indonesian Boundary Seas

Lagrangian particle-tracking simulations modeled marine debris trajectories across Indonesian boundary seas, finding that complex ocean circulation patterns and monsoon seasonality strongly influence debris accumulation zones and cross-border transport in this archipelago region.

2021 Journal of Ecological Engineering 60 citations
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

Trajectory of microplastic particles with 2-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling approach at Pekalongan waters, Central Java, Indonesia

Researchers used two-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling to track how microplastic particles move through the waters near Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia. They found that tidal currents and seasonal monsoon patterns significantly influence microplastic transport and accumulation near fishing grounds. The study provides a tool for predicting microplastic hotspots that could help guide marine debris management in the region.

2024 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 6 citations