Oceanic realistic application of a microplastic biofouling model to the river discharge case

Abstract

Marine biofouling is considered one of the major biophysical processes influencing the vertical dynamics of plastic debris in seawater. We numerically implement, for the first time, this mechanism within a fine-resolution, regional model of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in order to simulate the dispersion of microplastics (MPs) released at the mouth of a highly polluting river. Four polymers and three particle sizes are used to quantify algal concentration influence on the trajectories, fates, and accumulation spots of the tracked MPs, by comparing 2002 winter and summer runs encompassing or not biofouling. Besides a marked seasonality for most of the MP types and radii tested, biofouling effects are prominently observed for only 2 polymers and particles bigger than 1μm. Thus, further realistic applications of the biofouling mechanism in oceanic circulation models are required to achieve a thorough assessment of its impact on plastic density within distinctive basins of the world seas.

Keywords: Biofouling; Marine microplastics’ dispersion; Regional modeling; River discharge.