Pérez Muñuzuri, Vicente2024-10-302024-10-302024-07-19Pérez-Muñuzuri, V. Size-Dependent Microplastic Fragmentation Model. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12, 1213. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/jmse12071213https://hdl.handle.net/10347/37581Plastic fragmentation alters the size distribution of plastic waste in aquatic habitats, which is accelerated by mechanical stress and weathering degradation processes. Microplastic pieces constitute the vast bulk of plastic pollution in terms of quantity. Their size distribution has been shown to follow a power-law for larger fragments. This work introduces a novel model inspired by raindrop formation, incorporating local oceanographic processes and fragment size, aiming to improve the understanding and prediction of plastic fragmentation in marine environments. Particles can fragment when they reach a certain size, or when shear forces become too strong. Plastic aging’s effect on size distribution is also investigated.eng© 2024 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/MicroplasticsFragmentation modelDegradationSize distributionjournal article10.3390/jmse12071213open access