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Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Improving the Altimeter-Derived Surface Currents Using Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Data: A Sensitivity Study to SST Products
ClearImproved Surface Currents from Altimeter-Derived and Sea Surface Temperature Observations: Application to the North Atlantic Ocean
This study improved ocean surface current reconstructions by merging satellite altimeter-derived geostrophic currents with sea surface temperature observations. The multi-variate approach reduced errors in current estimates and has applications for tracking floating debris and pollutants including microplastics.
Derivation and Evaluation of Satellite-Based Surface Current
This paper reviews methods for deriving ocean surface current data from geostationary satellites, which can track pollution spread and aid search-and-rescue operations. While not directly about microplastics, satellite current tracking is a key tool for modeling where plastic debris travels once it enters the ocean. Improved real-time current data could help identify accumulation zones for marine plastic pollution.
A novel filtering method for geodetically determined ocean surface currents using deep learning
Researchers used deep learning to improve the accuracy of ocean current maps derived from satellite measurements of sea level and gravity. Better ocean current mapping helps scientists track where microplastics travel and accumulate in the ocean once they enter from rivers and coastlines.
Comment on essd-2023-107
This comment discusses a methodology for reconstructing high-resolution sea surface currents from satellite data. Accurate ocean current models are relevant to predicting the transport and accumulation patterns of floating microplastics in the world's oceans.
Retrieval of Surface Current from HIMAWARI-8 Sea Surface Temperature Data and Particle Image Velocimetry Method
This paper is not about microplastics; it is an oceanographic study using sea surface temperature data from the Himawari-8 satellite and particle image velocimetry algorithms to estimate surface ocean currents in the Flores Sea, Indonesia.
Vertical structure of ocean surface currents under high winds from massive arrays of drifters
This oceanography study used drifting buoys to measure ocean surface currents very close to the water surface, improving understanding of how wind and waves drive near-surface transport. Such current models are important for predicting how buoyant microplastics are distributed and concentrated across ocean surface waters.
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.
Enhancing discharge estimation from SWOT satellite data in a tropical tidal river environment
Researchers developed a methodology to improve river discharge estimates from the SWOT satellite mission in tidally influenced river environments in southern Vietnam. They found that measurement errors from the satellite could be reduced by optimizing the size of river segments analyzed. While not directly related to microplastics, the study advances remote sensing tools that can help monitor coastal water dynamics relevant to understanding pollutant transport in estuarine systems.
Observations of Near‐Surface Current Shear Help Describe Oceanic Oil and Plastic Transport
Researchers used near-surface current shear measurements to better describe how oil and plastic debris disperse and accumulate at the ocean surface, improving model predictions for the distribution of floating contaminants.
Technical note: On the importance of a three-dimensional approach for modelling the transport of neustic microplastics
This modeling study shows that 3D ocean current simulations are more accurate than 2D surface models for predicting where microplastics that float near the surface will end up. Improving transport models helps scientists estimate where plastic pollution accumulates in the ocean.
The Role of the Unsteady Surface Wave‐Driven Ekman–Stokes Flow in the Accumulation of Floating Marine Litter
Researchers modeled the role of wave-driven Ekman-Stokes flow in the accumulation of floating marine debris, finding that this near-surface current mechanism significantly influences where plastic litter concentrates at sea, with implications for predicting and targeting ocean cleanup efforts.
A Real-time Product to Help Ocean Cleanup Operations
Researchers developed a real-time oceanographic product to support open-ocean plastic cleanup operations, integrating current, wind, and wave data to generate operational forecasts of plastic debris drift and accumulation that can guide the routing of cleanup vessels.
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.
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.
Examining the Feasibility of Passive Satellite Remote Sensing of Ocean Microplastics With New High-Resolution Multiple Scattering Simulations
Researchers examined the feasibility of detecting ocean microplastics using passive satellite remote sensing by combining in situ data analysis with Mie scattering calculations and advanced multiple scattering simulations, evaluating whether spectral signatures of microplastic particles are detectable against the ocean surface optical background.
Testing the factors controlling the numbers of microplastics on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand
Researchers measured microplastic concentrations on beaches along the western Gulf of Thailand and applied statistical models to link abundance patterns to ocean surface currents and land-based pollution sources, finding that current direction and proximity to riverine inputs were the strongest predictors of beach MP levels.
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.
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.
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.
Towards microplastic hotspots detection: A comparative analysis of in-situ sampling and sea surface currents derived by HF radars
Researchers compared in-situ microplastic sampling data with sea surface current measurements from high-frequency radar in the Sicily Channel to develop better methods for detecting plastic pollution hotspots. They found a strong inverse correlation between microplastic fragment occurrence and total kinetic energy, suggesting that areas of low water movement accumulate more debris. The approach could help identify high-accumulation zones, particularly at the centers of eddies, without resource-intensive field sampling.
Estimating microplastic concentrations in surface water using satellite-based turbidity measurements: a case study on the New River, VA
Researchers used satellite-derived turbidity measurements as a proxy for microplastic concentrations in the New River, Virginia, developing and validating a model that enables broader spatial and temporal monitoring of riverine microplastic pollution without intensive field sampling.
Remote sensing and its applications using GNSS reflected signals: advances and prospects
Researchers reviewed how GPS and satellite navigation signals reflected off Earth's surface (GNSS-Reflectometry) can measure ocean conditions, soil moisture, ice thickness, and other environmental variables — and highlighted emerging uses including detecting microplastics on the ocean surface from space.
Fate of microplastics and mesoplastics carried by surface currents and wind waves: A numerical model approach in the Sea of Japan
A particle-tracking ocean model for the Sea of Japan showed that surface currents, wind waves, and Stokes drift all influence the distribution of floating microplastics, with model outputs matching field survey data. The study demonstrates the value of combining wave dynamics with current models to predict where microplastics accumulate in coastal seas.
How Are Microplastics Transported to Polar Regions?
New computer modeling found that submerged microplastics are transported by deep ocean currents along very different routes than floating plastic debris visible on the surface. This suggests that current surface-based monitoring significantly underestimates the true distribution of plastic pollution in the global ocean.