Identification of potential hotspots of plastic accumulation in the Vigo ria (Spain): First results.

In frame of PLAST4H2 project WP1 Activity 3(Identification and modelling of dispersion and transport patterns to “hotspots” for plastic accumulation) Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) team has performed modeling simulations to identify potential hotspots of plastics accumulation in the Vigo ria (Spain).

The simulation were performed using Mohid Lagrangian model (http://www.mohid.com/pages/models/mohidlagrangian/mohid_lagrangian_home.shtml) a comprehensive high-performance Lagrangian tracer model developed at MARETEC – Marine, Environment and technology Center (http://maretec.org/) a research center of IST. These models are based on surface current models to define the movement of plastics, study their origin and their fate, since they can provide the position (x,y,z) at each time step.

In this study, the Lagrangian model was forced with the current, salinity and temperature fields obtained from the Vigo ria hydrodynamic model solution provided by MeteoGalicia (www.meteogalicia.gal). As first approach, the simulation area was filled with plastics (orange dots in the figures) and a simulation of 20 days were performed. Simulation preliminary results are promising, showing what are the areas of the Vigo ria with more propensity to accumulate plastic.

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