Articles | Volume 19, issue 8 
            
                
                    
            
            
            https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2211-2022
                    © Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under 
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
                the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2211-2022
                    © Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under 
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
                the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Modelling submerged biofouled microplastics and their vertical trajectories
Reint Fischer
                                            Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    
                                            Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    Merel Kooi
                                            Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    Albert Koelmans
                                            Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    Victor Onink
                                            Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    
                                            Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
                                        
                                    
                                            Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
                                        
                                    Charlotte Laufkötter
                                            Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
                                        
                                    
                                            Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
                                        
                                    Linda Amaral-Zettler
                                            Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research,  Texel, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    Andrew Yool
                                            National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK
                                        
                                    Erik van Sebille
                                            Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    
                                            Centre for Complex Systems Studies, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
                                        
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Discussed (preprint)
Latest update: 29 Oct 2025
Short summary
                    Since current estimates show that only about 1 % of the all plastic that enters the ocean is floating at the surface, we look at subsurface processes that can cause vertical movement of (micro)plastic. We investigate how modelled algal attachment and the ocean's vertical movement can cause particles to sink and oscillate in the open ocean. Particles can sink to depths of > 5000 m in regions with high wind intensity and mainly remain close to the surface with low winds and biological activity.
                    Since current estimates show that only about 1 % of the all plastic that enters the ocean is...
                    
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