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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Modeling of vertical microplastic transport by rising bubbles
ClearDataset for "Modeling of vertical microplastic transport by rising bubbles"
This is the dataset for a modeling study on how rising air bubbles in water transport microplastic particles vertically through the water column. The model helps explain why microplastics can be found distributed throughout ocean depths rather than concentrated only at the surface.
Microplastics segregation by rise velocity at the ocean surface
This study modeled the competing forces of particle buoyancy and turbulent mixing that control the vertical distribution of microplastics in the ocean surface layer, finding that particle rise velocity is the key variable that segregates plastic types and determines how they distribute relative to surface and subsurface measurements.
The effect of wind mixing on the vertical distribution of buoyant plastic debris
Researchers modeled and measured how wind mixing affects the vertical distribution of buoyant plastic debris in the ocean, finding that turbulent mixing drives plastics below the surface and explains why surface sampling underestimates total plastic concentrations.
The rise and rupture of bubbles: applications to biofouling, microplastic pollution, and sea spray aerosols
Researchers studied how rising air bubbles in water collect microplastics and bacteria on their surfaces and transport them to the liquid surface, and how bubble bursting then launches these particles into the air as sea spray — with implications for both aquatic contamination and airborne microplastic exposure.
Experimental evidence of plastic particles transfer at the water-air interface through bubble bursting
Experimental evidence showed that bubble bursting at the sea surface can transfer plastic particles from bulk water to sea spray aerosols, providing a mechanism for microplastics to be transported from ocean surface waters into the atmosphere.
Dataset for "Modeling of vertical microplastic transport by rising bubbles"
This is a duplicate dataset entry for the bubble transport modeling study on how rising bubbles carry microplastic particles through the water column. See ID 46348 for context.
Examination of the ocean as a source for atmospheric microplastics
Researchers assessed whether the ocean can be a net source of atmospheric microplastics (rather than just a sink), finding evidence that bubble bursting and sea spray can eject plastic particles from ocean surface waters into the atmosphere.
Passive buoyant tracers in the ocean surface boundary layer: 2. Observations and simulations of microplastic marine debris
Using ocean computer models calibrated against real-world observations, this study showed how wave mixing and other physical processes push buoyant microplastics below the ocean surface, explaining why less plastic is detected at the surface than expected. These models are critical for estimating where microplastic pollution is truly accumulating in the ocean.
Ups and Downs in the Ocean: Effects of Biofouling on Vertical Transport of Microplastics
Researchers developed the first theoretical model to simulate how biofouling, the growth of microbial biofilms on plastic surfaces, affects the vertical movement of microplastics in the ocean. The model predicts that depending on particle size and density, fouled microplastics may float, sink to the seafloor, or oscillate at intermediate depths. These findings help explain why small microplastics seem to disappear from the ocean surface and suggest they may concentrate at mid-water depths where vulnerable species live.
Vertical transport of buoyant microplastic particles in the ocean: The role of turbulence and biofouling
Researchers modeled how turbulence and biofouling interact to determine the vertical movement of buoyant microplastic particles in the ocean. They identified three distinct flow regimes that govern whether microplastics stay at the surface, oscillate, or sink to the seafloor. The study helps explain the observation that even low-density microplastics are found in deep ocean sediments, suggesting biofouling-driven density changes are a key transport mechanism.
New insights into the role of marine plastic-gels in microplastic transfer from water to the atmosphere via bubble bursting
Researchers identified a three-step mechanism by which microplastics are transferred from ocean surface water to the atmosphere during bubble bursting, finding that marine gel particles play a critical role by concentrating MPs at the air-sea interface before aerosol ejection. The results help explain how MPs reach remote terrestrial environments through atmospheric deposition from the ocean.
The vertical distribution of buoyant plastics at sea: an observational study in the North Atlantic Gyre
Field measurements of buoyant plastic particles at multiple depths in the ocean showed that concentrations decrease sharply below a few meters, with turbulence mixing plastics downward. The data validate model predictions and confirm that surface net trawls substantially undercount total plastic in the water column.
Wettability of microplastic particles affects their water-to-air ejection via bubble bursting.
Researchers experimentally investigated how the wettability (hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity) of microplastic particles affects their enrichment into jet droplets ejected when bubbles burst at the ocean surface, providing new insight into the mechanisms by which microplastics are transferred across the air-sea interface and potentially aerosolized.
Numerical simulations of bursting bubbles: effects of contamination on droplet ejection and micro- and nanoplastics transport
Scientists used computer simulations to study how tiny plastic particles get launched into the air when bubbles pop at water surfaces, like in oceans or wastewater treatment plants. They found that contaminants in the water change how bubbles burst and affect how many droplets containing microplastics are released into the air we breathe. This research helps us better understand how microplastics from polluted water can end up in the atmosphere and potentially impact human health through inhalation.
Numerical analysis of boundary conditions in a Lagrangian particle model for vertical mixing, transport and surfacing of buoyant particles in the water column
This technical modeling paper examines how to accurately simulate the behavior of buoyant particles (like microplastics) rising to the ocean surface in computer models. Improving these simulations helps predict where floating microplastics will accumulate in the ocean.
Difference in the fate of surface and subsurface microplastics: an example for open and coastal waters
Researchers compared the behavior of surface and subsurface microplastics in open ocean and coastal waters, finding that vertical mixing and biological processes move substantial quantities of plastic below the surface. Subsurface sampling revealed microplastics that would be missed by surface net tows alone. The findings suggest that surface-based microplastic monitoring significantly underestimates the total plastic burden in the ocean water column.
Elucidating the vertical transport of microplastics in the water column: A review of sampling methodologies and distributions
This review synthesized sampling methodologies and findings on microplastic vertical distribution in the water column, identifying that surface trawl studies dramatically underestimate total water column burdens and that sinking behavior, biofouling, and hydrodynamic processes create complex depth-dependent distribution patterns.
Horizontal Dispersion of Buoyant Materials in the Ocean Surface Boundary Layer
This theoretical and computational study examined how buoyant materials like plastic fragments are dispersed horizontally in the ocean surface layer by turbulent mixing processes. The modeling results help explain how surface microplastics spread and whether they reach zones of biological concentration.
Nanoscale insight into the interaction mechanism underlying the transport of microplastics by bubbles in aqueous environment
Nanoscale experiments revealed that bubble capture of microplastics in water is governed by hydrophobic interactions and surface charge complementarity between bubbles and MP particles. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for modeling the role of bubbles in transporting MPs from water to air-water interfaces and across environmental compartments.
Passive buoyant tracers in the ocean surface boundary layer: 1. Influence of equilibrium wind‐waves on vertical distributions
Using large eddy simulations, this paper modeled how wind-driven waves affect the vertical distribution of buoyant particles near the ocean surface, providing the physical framework for the companion paper on microplastic debris distribution. The models explain why floating microplastics are often mixed down below the surface, reducing the concentrations observed in surface sampling.
Investigation of dynamic change in microplastics vertical distribution patterns: The seasonal effect on vertical distribution
This study combined targeted field sampling in the Bay of Marseille with numerical simulations to analyze how microplastic vertical distribution patterns in the ocean water column change seasonally, finding that wind mixing and particle buoyancy are key drivers of vertical transport.
Global microplastic emission and deposition fluxes at the ocean-atmosphere interface
This study used bottom-up modeling to estimate how microplastics move between the ocean surface and the atmosphere at a global scale. The findings suggest ocean surfaces are both a source and sink for airborne microplastics, helping explain how plastics cycle through Earth's major environmental systems.
Effect of wettability on microplastic aerosolization via film and jet drops ejected from bursting bubbles
Researchers experimentally investigated how wettability of microplastic particles affects their aerosolization via film drops and jet drops ejected from bursting bubbles at the ocean surface. They found that particle wettability significantly controls the probability of microplastic inclusion in ejected droplets, with implications for understanding how microplastics transfer from the ocean surface into the atmosphere.
Dynamics of microplastics across the air–sea interface: enrichment in the sea-surface microlayer, foam, and links to regional biogeochemistry
Scientists found that tiny plastic particles are heavily concentrated in the thin layer at the ocean's surface and in sea foam - up to 100 times more than in deeper water below. These microplastics are constantly moving between the air and sea, with the smallest pieces traveling fastest and potentially spreading pollution over long distances. This matters because these surface waters and sea foam are where marine life feeds and where people swim, meaning we're likely exposed to much higher levels of plastic pollution than previously thought.