Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Assessment of floating debris transport in Puttalam lagoon

Researchers assessed floating debris transport dynamics within Puttalam Lagoon in Sri Lanka using hydrodynamic modelling, simulating pollutant movement patterns to predict accumulation zones and inform management strategies for reducing plastic and debris contamination in this coastal lagoon ecosystem.

2025
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

Destination of floating plastic debris released from ten major rivers around the Korean Peninsula

Researchers used a Lagrangian particle tracking model to simulate the transport and coastal accumulation of plastic debris released from ten major Chinese and Korean rivers around the Korean Peninsula, finding that debris generally strands near the originating river mouth and that model predictions were consistent with observational data.

2020 Environment International 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Nurdle drifters around South Africa as indicators of ocean structures and dispersion

Plastic nurdle pellets spilled in Durban Harbour, South Africa in 2017 were tracked using ocean current and wind models, and beach sighting data from the public helped validate the simulations. The study demonstrates how plastic spill events can be modeled to predict where pollution spreads along coastlines.

2019 South African Journal of Science 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Simulation of Marine Debris Path Using Mathematical Model in the Gulf of Thailand

Researchers simulated the trajectory of marine debris in the Gulf of Thailand using a coupled Oceanic Model based on Shallow Water Equations and a Lagrangian Particle Tracking model, applying six buoyancy ratio scenarios to a 2020 capsized garbage boat near Koh Samui to predict debris dispersion patterns under combined current and wind forcing.

2022 Axioms 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Using hydrodynamic models to understand the impacts and risks of plastic pollution

This paper used hydrodynamic computer models to simulate the transport and accumulation of plastic pollution in estuarine and coastal environments. The approach helps predict where marine litter concentrates based on currents and geography, which is useful for targeting cleanup efforts and informing coastal management policies.

2018 2 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

Lagrangian modelling of plastic transport in marine waters.

Researchers applied Lagrangian particle tracking using the OpenDrift framework to study transport of tyre-wear microplastics from two major bridges in a Norwegian fjord and to model broader marine plastic dispersal patterns. The model, incorporating background ocean velocities from the Bergen Ocean Model and Stokes law-derived sinking velocities, tracked individual particle paths from road runoff entry points to seafloor deposition.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Predicting the exposure of coastal species to plastic pollution in a complex island archipelago.

This study used a fine-resolution hydrodynamic model to predict where plastic pollution accumulates along the Whitsunday Islands in Australia, finding that both local and distant sources contribute to exposure risks for coral reefs, mangroves, and sea turtle nesting sites. The results demonstrate that locally targeted management can meaningfully reduce plastic exposure to high-value coastal habitats.

2019 Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
Article Tier 2

Modeling the fate of microplastics in the Sengkarang Estuary, Pekalongan City, Central Java, Indonesia

Researchers measured microplastic concentrations in water and sediment at the mouth of the Sengkarang River in Indonesia and built a hydrodynamic model to track how tidal currents, wind, and river flow distribute the particles. Microplastics were highest in coastal waters and mangrove sediments, with tides and currents driving horizontal transport and concentrating particles in biologically sensitive habitats. The modeling approach offers a practical framework for predicting where microplastics accumulate and informing pollution management in river-to-sea systems.

2024 Environmental Quality Management 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Unprecedented marine microplastic contamination from the X-Press Pearl container vessel disaster

Coastal pollution was assessed following the MV X-Press Pearl container ship disaster off Sri Lanka, which was described as the worst maritime accident involving chemicals and plastics and released massive quantities of plastic nurdles onto beaches. Field sampling documented extensive nurdle contamination and associated toxic element accumulation along the coastline.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastics, Nurdles, and Pyrogenic Microplastics in the Coastal Marine Environment

Researchers examined plastic nurdle pollution and pyrogenic microplastics in coastal marine environments, with a focus on the MV X-Press Pearl cargo ship fire in Sri Lanka — the largest plastic-based maritime disaster from a single vessel in history, involving nearly 12,000 metric tonnes of plastic materials. The study documented the types and distribution of floating debris, nurdles, and fire-altered pyrogenic microplastics generated by the shipwreck along Sri Lankan coastlines.

2023 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring marine debris transport patterns downstream of Gran Canaria using TrackMPD and surface drifters deployed after a marine pollution incident

Researchers used the TrackMPD Lagrangian modelling framework together with data from six oceanographic surface drifters deployed after a 2015 fishing vessel sinking near Gran Canaria to model marine debris transport patterns downstream of the Canary Islands. They validated model performance against real drifter trajectories using the Liu-Weisberg Skill Score, demonstrating TrackMPD's applicability for estimating pollutant dispersion following marine pollution incidents.

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

Numerical Modelling Techniques for Marine Debris : A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic review surveys numerical modeling approaches used to track the fate and transport of marine plastic debris, covering particle tracking models, hydrodynamic simulations, and bibliometric trends. Understanding how plastic moves through ocean systems is critical for identifying pollution hotspots and designing effective cleanup or prevention strategies.

2023 International Journal of Quantitative Research and Modeling
Article Tier 2

LOCATE v1.0: numerical modelling of floating marine debris dispersion in coastal regions using Parcels v2.4.2

Researchers introduced LOCATE v1.0, a numerical model for simulating floating marine debris transport in coastal regions, using the Parcels particle-tracking framework to improve predictions in complex nearshore environments.

2024 Geoscientific model development 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Sources of marine debris for Seychelles and other remote islands in the western Indian Ocean

Researchers used global Lagrangian particle tracking simulations incorporating ocean currents, waves, and variable windage to identify sources of marine debris accumulating at Seychelles and other remote western Indian Ocean islands, finding that high-buoyancy terrestrial debris originates primarily from Indonesia and South Asia, while fishing gear fragments and shipping waste also contribute significantly with seasonal accumulation peaking during February to April.

2022 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Weathering induced surface transformation and trace metal affinities of plastic nurdles discharged from the X-Press Pearl ship accident (2021–2024)

Researchers tracked the physical and chemical weathering of plastic nurdles spilled from the X-Press Pearl shipwreck across four sampling time points (16–40 months post-spill) on a Sri Lankan beach. Over time, nurdles showed progressive volume loss, surface oxidation, and increased affinity for trace metals, indicating growing pollution risk with age.

2025 Marine Environmental Research
Article Tier 2

Pelacakan Mundur Partikel Sampah dengan Metode Euler-Lagrange di Pelabuhan Ratu

This study used 2D horizontal hydrodynamic modeling with an Euler-Lagrange particle tracking method to backtrack the sources of floating marine debris in Pelabuhan Ratu Bay, West Java, Indonesia. Particle tracking models are essential tools for identifying where marine plastic pollution originates and designing more targeted interventions.

2023 Limits Journal of Mathematics and Its Applications 1 citations
Article Tier 2

On some physical and dynamical properties of microplastic particles in marine environment

This study examined the physical and dynamical properties of microplastic particles in marine environments, using modeling to predict how particle shape, density, and size govern transport, dispersion, and accumulation patterns.

2016 Marine Pollution Bulletin 629 citations
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

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

Cross-Shore Microplastic Accumulation on Sri Lanka’s West Coast One Year After the Catastrophic X-Press Pearl Pollution Event

Researchers conducted a detailed survey of microplastic pellet contamination along Sri Lanka's west coast one year after the catastrophic X-Press Pearl container ship disaster, which released an estimated 50 billion plastic pellets. They found that pellets were still widely present in beach sediments, with some locations showing very high densities. The study demonstrates that a single marine pollution event can result in persistent, long-term microplastic contamination of coastal environments.

2025 Microplastics 3 citations
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

A probabilistic Lagrangian numerical model to assess the impact of floating marine litter on Barcelona city beaches

Researchers developed a probabilistic Lagrangian model using Monte Carlo methods to assess floating marine litter impacts on Barcelona beaches, incorporating four terrestrial debris sources and the LOCATE coastal simulation framework adapted for nearshore transport. They identified wave height, source proximity, and coastline orientation as key determinants of beaching flux in a region with some of the highest marine litter concentrations in the Mediterranean.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)