Sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the Mediterranean Sea
<p>We study the vertical dispersion and distribution of negatively buoyant rigid microplastics within a realistic circulation model of the Mediterranean sea. We first propose an equation describing their idealized dynamics. In that framework, we evaluate the importance of some relevant physica...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2021-03-01
|
Series: | Ocean Science |
Online Access: | https://os.copernicus.org/articles/17/431/2021/os-17-431-2021.pdf |
id |
doaj-96087084468a4368b9b51caac7814e53 |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-96087084468a4368b9b51caac7814e532021-03-09T14:08:12ZengCopernicus PublicationsOcean Science1812-07841812-07922021-03-011743145310.5194/os-17-431-2021Sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the Mediterranean SeaR. de la Fuente0G. Drótos1G. Drótos2E. Hernández-García3C. López4E. van Sebille5E. van Sebille6IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, SpainIFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, SpainMTA–ELTE Theoretical Physics Research Group, Budapest, HungaryIFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, SpainIFISC (CSIC-UIB), Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, SpainInstitute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsCentre for Complex Systems Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands<p>We study the vertical dispersion and distribution of negatively buoyant rigid microplastics within a realistic circulation model of the Mediterranean sea. We first propose an equation describing their idealized dynamics. In that framework, we evaluate the importance of some relevant physical effects (inertia, Coriolis force, small-scale turbulence and variable seawater density), and we bound the relative error of simplifying the dynamics to a constant sinking velocity added to a large-scale velocity field. We then calculate the amount and vertical distribution of microplastic particles on the water column of the open ocean if their release from the sea surface is continuous at rates compatible with observations in the Mediterranean. The vertical distribution is found to be almost uniform with depth for the majority of our parameter range. Transient distributions from flash releases reveal a non-Gaussian character of the dispersion and various diffusion laws, both normal and anomalous. The origin of these behaviors is explored in terms of horizontal and vertical flow organization.</p>https://os.copernicus.org/articles/17/431/2021/os-17-431-2021.pdf |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
R. de la Fuente G. Drótos G. Drótos E. Hernández-García C. López E. van Sebille E. van Sebille |
spellingShingle |
R. de la Fuente G. Drótos G. Drótos E. Hernández-García C. López E. van Sebille E. van Sebille Sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the Mediterranean Sea Ocean Science |
author_facet |
R. de la Fuente G. Drótos G. Drótos E. Hernández-García C. López E. van Sebille E. van Sebille |
author_sort |
R. de la Fuente |
title |
Sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the Mediterranean Sea |
title_short |
Sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the Mediterranean Sea |
title_full |
Sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the Mediterranean Sea |
title_fullStr |
Sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the Mediterranean Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the Mediterranean Sea |
title_sort |
sinking microplastics in the water column: simulations in the mediterranean sea |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
series |
Ocean Science |
issn |
1812-0784 1812-0792 |
publishDate |
2021-03-01 |
description |
<p>We study the vertical dispersion and distribution of negatively
buoyant rigid microplastics within a realistic circulation
model of the Mediterranean sea. We first propose an equation
describing their idealized dynamics. In that framework, we
evaluate the importance of some relevant physical effects (inertia, Coriolis force, small-scale turbulence and
variable seawater density), and we bound the relative error of
simplifying the dynamics to a constant sinking velocity added
to a large-scale velocity field. We then calculate the amount
and vertical distribution of microplastic particles on the
water column of the open ocean if their release from the sea
surface is continuous at rates compatible with observations in
the Mediterranean. The vertical distribution is found to be
almost uniform with depth for the majority of our
parameter range. Transient distributions from flash releases
reveal a non-Gaussian character of the dispersion and various
diffusion laws, both normal and anomalous. The origin of these
behaviors is explored in terms of horizontal and vertical flow
organization.</p> |
url |
https://os.copernicus.org/articles/17/431/2021/os-17-431-2021.pdf |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT rdelafuente sinkingmicroplasticsinthewatercolumnsimulationsinthemediterraneansea AT gdrotos sinkingmicroplasticsinthewatercolumnsimulationsinthemediterraneansea AT gdrotos sinkingmicroplasticsinthewatercolumnsimulationsinthemediterraneansea AT ehernandezgarcia sinkingmicroplasticsinthewatercolumnsimulationsinthemediterraneansea AT clopez sinkingmicroplasticsinthewatercolumnsimulationsinthemediterraneansea AT evansebille sinkingmicroplasticsinthewatercolumnsimulationsinthemediterraneansea AT evansebille sinkingmicroplasticsinthewatercolumnsimulationsinthemediterraneansea |
_version_ |
1724227815702790144 |