Influence of Surge Waves on the Transport of Macroplastics

There is an influx of several million tons of plastic waste into oceanic waters each year. Rivers and coastal events (e.g. flood events, surge waves, and tsunamis) are to blame for transporting substantial quantities of plastic wastes from inland sources to aquatic environments. The coastal transport of plastic pollution is considerably affected by the turbulent behaviors and mixing in surge waves. Influx of plastic waste and adverse effects on marine wildlife and natural environment have been well documented. However, the impact that surge waves have on the transport of plastic pollution present in rivers and coastal events is still not well understood. In this study, laboratory experiments were carried out to examine the effect of surge waves on the transport of floating debris. Acrylic (ACR) and polypropylene (PP) particles were introduced in a breaking bore, while a GoPro camera was used to capture the process and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) program was used to analyze particle velocity and trajectory. Results indicated that breaking bore had considerable impact on the transport of PP particles compared to ACR. Furthermore, smaller PP particles were less affected by the surge wave when compared to larger PP particles.