Modeling marine surface microplastic transport to assess optimal removal locations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15545386 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Sherman (0000-0002-2140-0420, Imperial College London, corresponding author), Erik van Sebille (0000-0003-2041-0704, Imperial College London) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 014006-014006 |
| Publication date | 2016-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/11/1/014006 |
| OpenAlex | W2292202549 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 21 |
Marine plastic pollution is an ever-increasing problem that demands immediate mitigation and reduction plans. Here, a model based on satellite-tracked buoy observations and scaled to a large data set of observations on microplastic from surface trawls was used to simulate the transport of plastics floating on the ocean surface from 2015 to 2025, with the goal to assess the optimal marine microplastic removal locations for two scenarios: removing the most surface microplastic and reducing the impact on ecosystems, using plankton growth as a proxy. The simulations show that the optimal removal locations are primarily located off the coast of China and in the Indonesian Archipelago for both scenarios. Our estimates show that 31% of the modeled microplastic mass can be removed by 2025 using 29 plastic collectors operating at a 45% capture efficiency from these locations, compared to only 17% when the 29 plastic collectors are moored in the North Pacific garbage patch, between Hawaii and California. The overlap of ocean surface microplastics and phytoplankton growth can be reduced by 46% at our proposed locations, while sinks in the North Pacific can only reduce the overlap by 14%. These results are an indication that oceanic plastic removal might be more effective in removing a greater microplastic mass and in reducing potential harm to marine life when closer to shore than inside the plastic accumulation zones in the centers of the gyres
Buoy · Debris · Ecosystem · Fishery · Marine debris · Marine ecosystem · Microplastics · Ocean gyre · Pelagic zone · Plastic pollution · Shore · Sink (geography · Environmental Science · Microplastics and Plastic Pollution · Recycling and Waste Management Techniques · Ecology · Geology · Oceanography
Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans
Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean
Plastics, the environment and human health
Accumulation and fragmentation of plastic debris in global environments
Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters
A global inventory of small floating plastic debris
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2023 (8) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |