Simulation of microplastic particles propagation in the coastal zone of the reservoir due to wave motion

Abstract

The transport of suspended microplastic particles in an aqueous medium is closely related to hydrodynamic circulation. The transfer of microplastics to and from the surf zone is largely determined by the properties of the particles, which may differ significantly in terms of chemical and physical characteristics, size, shape, degradation stage and color. Microplastic particle capture and transfer models are largely determined by phenomena such as sea storms and prevailing currents. There are several mechanisms of horizontal and vertical movement of suspended microplastic particles associated with their concentration. Depending on the prevailing wave climate and the coastal currents caused by the destruction of waves and caused by waves, precipitation is captured, transported and redistributed along and across the coastline, which often leads to erosion or seasonal bathymetric changes. In the article, a model describing the change in the concentration of suspended microplastic particles is considered, discretization is carried out, and the results of numerical experiments in two-dimensional and three-dimensional cases are obtained. The deposition and erosion of microplastics with an average grain size of 0.3 mm were compared. Data demonstrating the amount of erosion and deposition in two-dimensional and three-dimensional cases were obtained. The results of both the analytical model and numerical simulation demonstrate that waves can affect the distribution of floating particles near a free surface. The results of numerical simulation are largely consistent with the theory.