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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Visualization of Buoyant MP motion in response to different flow velocities and bed types
ClearPlastic drift : Mapping the course of microplastic transport in turbulent riverine flows.
Researchers investigated the transport dynamics of 24 negatively buoyant microplastic particles across a spectrum of sizes, shapes, and densities using a 3D particle tracking system in turbulent open channel flow, generating 720 trajectories. They found that particle shape was the dominant determinant of transport behavior, with fibers tending to remain near the water surface at lower forward velocities while spheres stayed closer to the bed with higher forward velocities.
Impact of the Reynolds Numbers on the Velocity of Floating Microplastics in Open Channels
Researchers experimentally tracked the motion of nearly spherical polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene microplastics in open channel flow using video analysis, establishing quantitative relationships among Reynolds number, MP density, and floating velocity to better predict horizontal transport behavior.
Longitudinal Dispersion and Hyporheic Exchange of Neutrally Buoyant Microplastics in the Presence of Waves and Currents
Laboratory experiments tracked neutrally buoyant microplastics (mimicking polyethylene density) under different water conditions including combined wave-current flows, finding that their movement through the water column closely resembles dissolved tracers — but that microplastics already lodged in a riverbed sediment exchange more slowly than solutes due to density-driven effects over longer timescales. Understanding these transport dynamics is essential for accurate models predicting where microplastics accumulate in river and coastal sediments.
Experimental study on the motion characteristics and critical hydraulic parameters of microplastics in a freshwater environment
Researchers conducted hydraulic flume experiments and force analyses to determine critical flow velocity thresholds for microplastic initiation, transport, and resuspension in freshwater environments, finding that settling velocities ranged from 0.05 to 0.17 m/s and that higher density, rougher surfaces, and flake-like shapes all increased the critical flow velocity required for microplastic movement.
Microplastic Pathways: Investigating Vertical and Horizontal Movement from Riverine Environments to Oceans
Researchers investigated the vertical and horizontal movement of microplastics in riverine systems en route to the ocean, examining how physical MP characteristics and hydrodynamic conditions govern whether particles settle near riverbeds or float at the surface, and how both gravity-driven and flow-driven transport contribute to their ultimate fate.
Plastic drift : Mapping the course of microplastic transport in turbulent riverine flows.
Researchers conducted laboratory experiments tracking the 3D trajectories of 24 negatively buoyant microplastic particles spanning a range of sizes, shapes, and densities in turbulent open channel flow, generating 720 trajectories to evaluate how well conventional sediment transport models apply to microplastics. Results revealed that the inherent variability in microplastic physical properties challenges direct application of sediment transport concepts to microplastic fate prediction in rivers.
Quantifying microplastic dispersion due to density effects
This laboratory study measured how different types of microplastics move through water based on their density, finding that denser plastics settle to the bottom in slow-moving water while lighter ones travel like dissolved particles. Understanding how microplastics spread in rivers is important because it helps predict where plastic contamination will accumulate and which water sources face the greatest risk of exposure.
Continuous Near-Bed Movements of Microplastics in Open Channel Flows: Statistical Analysis
Particle tracking velocimetry experiments in a laboratory flume showed that near-bed microplastic transport in open channels follows a normal streamwise velocity distribution, with transport behavior varying significantly by particle type and hydraulic conditions.
Modelling forces on buoyant macro plastics and their cross-sectional distribution in rivers: Simplified modelling of buoyant macro plastics according to cornerstones in behavior and particle response times in a range of riverine environments to set-up efficient monitoring campaigns and help select locations for efficient plastic removal.
Researchers modeled the forces acting on buoyant plastic debris in rivers to better predict how macroplastics are distributed across river cross-sections, which is important for designing efficient plastic monitoring and collection systems. Understanding plastic transport in rivers is key to tracking how land-based plastics reach the ocean.
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.
Bedload transport rates of microplastics on natural sediments under open channel flow: The role of exposure in acceleration
Researchers developed a new model for predicting how microplastics are transported as bedload in rivers, combining computational fluid dynamics with laboratory experiments. They found that exposed microplastics on the sediment surface move at higher transport rates than natural sediment particles of similar size, potentially spreading contamination over wider areas. The model provides a practical tool for engineers assessing how microplastic pollution disperses through waterway systems.
The role of turbulence in the deposition of intrinsically buoyant MPs
This flume study found that turbulence causes the vertical velocity of buoyant polyethylene microplastics to vary over 4 orders of magnitude compared to their rise rate in still water, explaining how lighter-than-water particles end up deposited in river and lake sediments.
Effect of Shape and Size on the Transport of Floating Particles on the Free Surface in a Natural Stream
Researchers used particle tracking velocimetry to study how shape and size affect the movement of floating particles on the turbulent free surface of a natural stream, finding that millimeter-scale spheres behaved differently from centimeter-scale irregular objects. Understanding particle transport mechanics is essential for predicting microplastic fate in river systems.
The role of biofilm and hydrodynamics on the fate of microplastic particles in rivers: an experimental study
Researchers conducted flume and field experiments to examine how biofilm formation and hydrodynamic conditions govern the fate of microplastic particles in rivers, investigating why some MP-polluted rivers crossing industrialized areas show no significant upstream-to-downstream concentration differences. The study identified biofilm-mediated density changes and turbulence as key factors controlling whether low-density MPs remain suspended or settle into sediments.
Microplastic and natural sediment in bed load saltation: Material does not dictate the fate
Researchers investigated how microplastics move as bed load in river flows and found that transport behavior in saltation was governed primarily by particle size, shape, and density rather than material composition, suggesting that microplastics follow similar transport mechanics as natural sediment.
Modeling the trajectories of floating and non-floating microplastic particles in the water column
Researchers modeled the trajectories of both floating and non-floating microplastic particles in freshwater and marine water columns, accounting for turbulence-induced mixing, buoyancy differences, and flow characteristics that determine vertical and horizontal distribution. The study highlights that while low-density polymers like polyethylene and polypropylene are expected to concentrate at the surface, turbulent mixing drives significant depth distribution across aquatic environments.
On the vertical structure of non-buoyant plastics in turbulent transport
Researchers investigated how non-floating plastic debris moves through river-like flows and found that plastics settle in unique, complex patterns due to their irregular shapes. In low-turbulence conditions, interactions between the plastic particles and the riverbed enhanced mixing beyond what standard sediment transport models would predict. The study proposes a new equation for describing how plastics are distributed vertically in flowing water.
Mapping Microplastic Movement: A Phase Diagram to Predict Nonbuoyant Microplastic Modes of Transport at the Particle Scale
Researchers tracked 24 different types of nonbuoyant microplastic particles in turbulent open channel flow to understand how they are transported in aquatic environments. They found that microplastics move similarly to natural sediments through rolling, saltation, and suspension, but particle shape strongly influences transport behavior, with fibers staying closer to the water surface than spheres. The study introduces a new phase diagram for predicting microplastic transport modes based on flow conditions and particle properties.
Study of the influence of fluvial dynamics on the distribution and transport of microplastics.
Researchers studied how fluvial dynamics including flow velocity, turbulence, and river geomorphology influence the distribution and transport of microplastics in river systems. River hydrodynamics were found to be major determinants of where microplastics accumulate and how far they travel, with implications for predicting contamination patterns in river catchments.
Mapping microplastic movement: A phase diagram to predict microplastics modes of transport
Using a 3D particle-tracking flume experiment, researchers mapped how 24 different microplastic particles varying in size, shape, and density move through flowing water, finding that shape is a stronger predictor of transport behavior than size or density alone. Fibers traveled closer to the water surface and moved slower than spheres, while the ratio of fluid force to particle settling speed predicted which transport mode — rolling, bouncing, or suspension — each particle would experience. This phase diagram is a practical tool for predicting where different microplastics will accumulate in rivers and streams.
Sediment-Water Interfaces as Traps and Sources of Microplastic Fragments and Microfibers─Insights from Stream Flume Experiments
Researchers used controlled stream flume experiments to study how microplastic fibers and fragments settle into riverbed sediments. They found that lower water flow speeds caused faster deposition, with the effect being strongest for fibers, and that traditional settling equations significantly underestimate how microplastics actually behave near the streambed. The findings improve our understanding of where and how microplastics accumulate in rivers.
Effect of Shape and Size on the Transport of Floating Particles on the Free Surface in a Meandering Stream
Using particle tracking in a field-scale meandering stream, researchers found that the shape and size of floating particles — including microplastics — significantly affect how they move with water currents. Irregularly shaped particles behave differently than spheres, which matters for predicting where plastic pollution accumulates in waterways.
Microplastic and natural sediment in bed load saltation: material does not dictate the fate
This study compared the transport of microplastics and natural sediment in river flows and found that despite similar particle sizes, microplastics behave differently due to their lower density and different surface properties. The findings suggest that microplastic transport cannot be fully predicted using models designed for natural sediment. Better transport models are needed to understand how microplastics move through river systems to the ocean.
Dispersal and transport of microplastics in river sediments
A 3D hydrodynamic modelling study of microplastic transport in river sediments found that lower-density plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene travel farther downstream, while denser polymers like polyamide and PET tend to accumulate near their source.