How litter moves along a macro tidal mid-latitude coast exposed to a coastal current

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:160

Article

Turrell, W. R.¹ 

[1] Marine Scotland Sci, Marine Lab, Aberdeen AB11 9DB, Scotland

关键词: Marine plastics;    Beach litter;    Modelling;    Particle tracking;    Strandlines;    Boundary conditions;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111600

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

A simplified particle-tracking model with an idealised coastline was used to investigate how the interaction between variable winds and water level (VaWWL) operates spatially along a coast. The model included a constant along-coast current, horizontal diffusion, onshore/offshore wind drift, beach/cliff combinations and point/distributed litter sources. The default model reproduced basic properties of observed beach litter loadings (zero net accumulation, negatively skewed loading distributions) and the observed spatial pattern along the Scottish east coast, with average loadings increasing in the coastal current direction. The VaWWL effect moved the along-coast flux of floating litter offshore as debeaching events occur during offshore winds. Varying diffusion, coastal current speed, windage, beach/cliff com-binations and different foreshore boundary conditions were investigated. Reconciling model predictions with previous estimates of plastic inflow suggested sinking rates of up to 90% soon after first entry into the sea. The VaWWL effect offers a realistic boundary condition for particle-tracking models.

【 授权许可】

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