NEUSTONIC PLASTIC ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD: IDENTIFICATION OF REGIONAL SOURCE AREAS USING OPENDRIFT MODELING

Marine plastic debris has recently become an issue of ecological concern, as it has been found to have negative effects impacting biologic organisms and the environment as a whole (Law et al., 2010; Law, 2017). Plastic has the potential for ingestion and entanglement of marine fauna (Law et al., 2010; Law, 2017), and chemical additives, which can leach out of plastics into the marine environment, may have carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting effects (Godswill and Godspel, 2019). While most efforts in the USA currently focus on how to remove plastic from the ocean, identifying where the debris originated is a step that would allow for geographically targeted mitigation of plastic debris, preventing it from entering the marine environment in the first place. This study seeks to address this need using hindcast modeling.

To determine the geographic origins of plastic recovered at sea during SEA Education Association cruise C-297MBC, this study utilizes a novel approach using a Python-coded program (OpenDrift). This research utilizes OpenDrift to hindcast neuston tow samples, using oceanographic and atmospheric conditions and Lagrangian particle trajectory modeling. Samples analyzed in this study were collected along a cruise track from St. Petersburg, FL to Woods Hole, MA, with varying distances from shore, between April 16 and May 20, 2021. Neuston tows were processed by hand for plastic. This work sets the stage for future conservation work in marine plastics by identifying geographic origins for plastic waste mitigation efforts. Source locations identified in this study include high-tourism areas, highly trafficked or populated areas, and estuarine regions.

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Law, K. L. (2017). Plastics in the marine environment. Annual Review of Marine Science, 9(1), 205–229. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-010816-060409

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