Marine litter trackers: an original, innovative, low-cost way to track marine litter and understand its dynamics environment

Abstract

This study investigates the processes responsible for the dispersion of Marine Litter through coastal systems, employing an integrated approach that combines field experiments and numerical modelling. A numerical modelling system was implemented in the northeastern Ligurian Sea in order to achieve the study's objectives. The system is based on a hydrodynamic component, represented by the SHYFEM (System of HydrodYnamic Finite Element Modules) model and on a Lagrangian component, the OpenDrift framework for Lagrangian particle modelling. The modelling system was employed to simulate and investigate the dispersion of Marine Litter from the Arno and Magra River mouths, both recognized as important Marine Litter sources in this region, a marine area included in the Pelagos Sanctuary, where pollution is particularly harmful for marine mammals. The system benefits from the integration with observations recorded by special low- cost drifters, called “Marine Litter Trackers”, used for its validation. These observations were used to assess the system's ability to accurately reproduce the dynamics influencing the fate of marine litter discharged into the sea from the Arno and Magra River, as well as to evaluate the proper parameterization of wind effects on litter transport.