The fate of plastics entering the 3D ocean circulation from rivers discharge is examined through the Lagrangian analysis of neutrally buoyant particles. Particles are released continuously over 1991-2010 at the surface along the coasts according to monthly estimates of rivers plastic waste input. They are advected by daily currents from a state-of-the-art global ocean model at 1/12° resolution. At the end of the simulation, particles remaining in the surface layer of 1~m thickness represent less than 2\% of the total particles released. These are concentrated in the center of subtropical gyres, mostly in the South Indian Ocean and the North Pacific, in relation with the large sources from Asia, and in good agreement with previous 2D numerical experiments in the surface layer. These patterns remain similar down to about 30 m depth, this upper layer strongly influenced by Ekman currents trapping about 20\% of the total released particles. About 50\% of the total released particles r
Frontiers | Marine Debris on New Zealand Beaches - Baseline Data to Evaluate Regional Variances frontiersin.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from frontiersin.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Martha McCoy Share:
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the coast of Japan, and the tsunami that subsequently struck Japan caused catastrophic damage and loss of life. This natural disaster resulted in approximately 16,000 deaths, hundreds of thousands of evacuees, and vast devastation to buildings and infrastructure. In addition to this human loss and suffering, the tsunami substantially exacerbated a global pollution problem that threatens wildlife, the environment, the economy, navigation safety, and potentially human health: marine debris.
The tsunami carried approximately five million tons of debris from the inundation zone into the ocean, of which 70% sank close to shore. The remaining 1.5 million tons of debris drifted into the Pacific Ocean, resulting in large amounts of debris washing up on North American shores. Nat’l Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin. (NOAA),