Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters
Much of the debris in the near-surface ocean collects in so-called garbage patches where, due to convergence of the surface flow, the debris is trapped for decades to millennia. Until now, studies modelling the pathways of surface marine debris have not included release from coasts or factored in th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2012-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044040 |
| _version_ | 1797748463868313600 |
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| author | Erik van Sebille Matthew H England Gary Froyland |
| author_facet | Erik van Sebille Matthew H England Gary Froyland |
| author_sort | Erik van Sebille |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Much of the debris in the near-surface ocean collects in so-called garbage patches where, due to convergence of the surface flow, the debris is trapped for decades to millennia. Until now, studies modelling the pathways of surface marine debris have not included release from coasts or factored in the possibilities that release concentrations vary with region or that pathways may include seasonal cycles. Here, we use observational data from the Global Drifter Program in a particle-trajectory tracer approach that includes the seasonal cycle to study the fate of marine debris in the open ocean from coastal regions around the world on interannual to centennial timescales. We find that six major garbage patches emerge, one in each of the five subtropical basins and one previously unreported patch in the Barents Sea. The evolution of each of the six patches is markedly different. With the exception of the North Pacific, all patches are much more dispersive than expected from linear ocean circulation theory, suggesting that on centennial timescales the different basins are much better connected than previously thought and that inter-ocean exchanges play a large role in the spreading of marine debris. This study suggests that, over multi-millennial timescales, a significant amount of the debris released outside of the North Atlantic will eventually end up in the North Pacific patch, the main attractor of global marine debris. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:06:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fbc9d661d94d4452aa23100fe9019b1a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:06:08Z |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-fbc9d661d94d4452aa23100fe9019b1a2023-08-09T14:23:17ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262012-01-017404404010.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044040Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface driftersErik van Sebille0Matthew H England1Gary Froyland2Climate Change Research Centre and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, University of New South Wales , Sydney, AustraliaClimate Change Research Centre and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, University of New South Wales , Sydney, AustraliaSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales , Sydney, AustraliaMuch of the debris in the near-surface ocean collects in so-called garbage patches where, due to convergence of the surface flow, the debris is trapped for decades to millennia. Until now, studies modelling the pathways of surface marine debris have not included release from coasts or factored in the possibilities that release concentrations vary with region or that pathways may include seasonal cycles. Here, we use observational data from the Global Drifter Program in a particle-trajectory tracer approach that includes the seasonal cycle to study the fate of marine debris in the open ocean from coastal regions around the world on interannual to centennial timescales. We find that six major garbage patches emerge, one in each of the five subtropical basins and one previously unreported patch in the Barents Sea. The evolution of each of the six patches is markedly different. With the exception of the North Pacific, all patches are much more dispersive than expected from linear ocean circulation theory, suggesting that on centennial timescales the different basins are much better connected than previously thought and that inter-ocean exchanges play a large role in the spreading of marine debris. This study suggests that, over multi-millennial timescales, a significant amount of the debris released outside of the North Atlantic will eventually end up in the North Pacific patch, the main attractor of global marine debris.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044040marine debrisocean surface circulationsurface drifting buoysEkman dynamics |
| spellingShingle | Erik van Sebille Matthew H England Gary Froyland Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters Environmental Research Letters marine debris ocean surface circulation surface drifting buoys Ekman dynamics |
| title | Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters |
| title_full | Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters |
| title_fullStr | Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters |
| title_short | Origin, dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters |
| title_sort | origin dynamics and evolution of ocean garbage patches from observed surface drifters |
| topic | marine debris ocean surface circulation surface drifting buoys Ekman dynamics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044040 |
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