Qualitative Study of the Transport of Microplastics in the Río de la Plata Estuary, Argentina, through Numerical Simulation

SCHICCHI, ALEJANDRA; MOREIRA, DIEGO; EISEMBERG, PATRICIA; SIMIONATO, CLAUDIA G.

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering,

MDPI

Lugar: Basilea; Año: 2023 vol. 11 p. 1 - 18

Information about the sources, sinks, dynamics, and how environmental variables affectthe transport of microplastics (MPs) from continental deposits to marine systems is still limited. Mostof the knowledge about the distribution of plastic in the oceans comes from the use of numericalmodels to understand the routes of MPs moving in aquatic systems. The Río de la Plata (RdP)is an estuary located on the eastern coast of South America and is one of the most anthropizedwatercourses in the region. In this study, the trajectory of MPs in the RdP was examined throughthe implementation, for the first time for the region, of numerical simulation models. The impactof the estuary’s hydrodynamic characteristics, winds, and MP morphological properties on theirtrajectory was investigated. The simulations produced demonstrated a high correlation between thehydrodynamics of the Río de la Plata and the trajectory of positively buoyant MPs. The wind wasidentified as a significant driving force in the simulation of MP motion dynamics. Modificationsin the size of the MPs have more influence on the trajectory than their morphology. The resultsconstitute an initial step toward understanding the dynamics of these emerging pollutants in one ofSouth America’s most important basins.