Modeling three-dimensional transport of microplastics and impacts of biofouling in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario

Abstract

Studies in the oceans and The Great Lakes have found several orders of magnitude less plastic in surface samples than predicted by input estimates. Some plastic likely sinks after entering the water because it is naturally more dense than freshwater. For less dense particles, it has been proposed that biofouling, or the buildup of organic materials on the plastic, can cause them to become more dense and ultimately induce sinking. In this work we compare two different functional biofouling models: one basic algal growth population model and one model that assumes photosensitive defouling. We investigate the effects within the scope of a large-scale hydrodynamic model that includes advection, vertical diffusion, and sediment deposition applied to both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. We find that deposition rates are dependent on the fouling method and lake depth. Lastly, we use the model to develop a first pass mass estimate for the sediment deposition rate in Lake Ontario.