EGU23-3083
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3083
EGU General Assembly 2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Determining the distribution and accumulation patterns of floating litter using  modelling tools in the Baltic Sea

Adolf Stips, Diego Macias, and Ove Parn
Adolf Stips et al.
  • European Commission Joint Research Centre, Sustainable Resources, Italy (Adolf.STIPS@ext.ec.europa.eu)

Marine plastic floating on the sea surface is a major environmental problem. The present study
investigated the potential transport patterns of floating marine litter and areas of its
accumulation in the Baltic Sea by using a hydrodynamic model coupled with a particle-tracking
model (Parcels). Mapping of marine plastic debris distribution in 2017–2018 revealed that the largest
plastic accumulation area is between latitude 59° and 61°, which includes the Northern Baltic
Proper, Archipelago Sea, and the Gulf of Finland. The floating plastic spreads from the largest
plastic pollution site River Vistula to the waters of all the countries around the Baltic Sea.

How to cite: Stips, A., Macias, D., and Parn, O.: Determining the distribution and accumulation patterns of floating litter using  modelling tools in the Baltic Sea, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3083, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3083, 2023.