RT Journal Article
T1 A regional Lagrangian model to evaluate the dispersion of floating macroplastics in the North Atlantic Ocean from land and river sources in the western coast of Spain
A1 Cloux González, Sara
A1 Pérez, Patricia
A1 Pablo, Hilda de
A1 Pérez Muñuzuri, Alberto
K1 Macroplastics
K1 Lagrangian-tracking model
K1 Marine litter hotspots
K1 Transboundary pollution
K1 North Atlantic
K1 Spain
AB Marine plastic litter is an emerging global problem with serious environmental and economic consequences. Once deposited in the ocean, it is transported by currents for long periods of time, making it a transboundary problem. The variety of plastic items makes the study of their transport in the ocean system a challenge. Identifying the sources and analyzing the extent of their dispersion/accumulation can help solve the problem on a global scale. In this study, using modeling tools, the dispersion of particles from land-based sources located on the Spanish Atlantic coast was analyzed over a seven-year period. The results show that the highest concentrations of plastic are found near the coast. The particle dispersion is consistent with the oceanic dynamics of each region studied. The seasonal behavior of plastics arriving in neighboring countries was also analyzed. The time-varying patterns are consistent with local hydrodynamics and the general circulation of the ocean.
PB Elsevier
YR 2024
FD 2024-10-10
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/37545
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/37545
LA eng
NO We gratefully acknowledge financial support by CleanAtlantic and FreeLitterAT Interreg Atlantic Projects (EAPA 46/2016 and EAPA-0009/2022) and Xunta de Galicia under Research Grant No. 2021-PG036-1. P. Pérez was funded by the 6-ESMARES2-C8 project, which is supported by the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. Financial support by the Galicia Marine Science programme included in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR-C17·I1) is also acknowledged.
DS Minerva
RD 1 may 2026