Dispersal of Plastics in the Ocean
Researchers: Professor Andy Woods and Dr Nicola Mingotti
Background
Microplastics have become pervasive pollutants with far-reaching environmental consequences. Once released into the marine environment, microplastics are transported by oceanic processes, influencing their distribution, residence time, and eventual accumulation in different ecosystems, but little is currently understood about how these particles move in the ocean. This movement determines where microplastics concentrate and also how they interact with marine organisms, potentially entering the food chain and causing harm to biodiversity and human health. By improving our knowledge of how microplastics circulate in the ocean, scientists can better assess their ecological impacts and inform strategies for pollution prevention, mitigation, and sustainable ocean management.
Our Work
Recent research has focused on the processes of the dispersal of plastics in the ocean, in particular the surface ocean where the buoyant plastic particles initially accumulate following discharge into the ocean. Our research has identified some of the controls on the residence time of plastic particles near the surface and the impact of the surface turbulent flow field on the spatial intermittency of the plastic distribution. Research continues to develop approaches to manage and mitigate impacts of the plastics by reducing the source of the plastics into the ocean.

Plastic particles being mixed in an analogue experiment of the surface ocean.