Modeling of marine litter drift and beaching in the Japan Sea

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2010-03, Vol.60 (3), p.448-463
• Main Authors: Yoon, Jong-Hwan, Kawano, Shiro, Igawa, Shuzo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Beaching; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Forecasting system; Japan; Japan Sea; Kinetics; Lighter; Marine; Marine litter; Models, Theoretical; Natural water pollution; Oceans and Seas; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; River basin; Seasons; Seawaters, estuaries; Tsushima Straits; Waste Products - analysis; Water Movements; Water Pollutants - analysis; Water treatment and pollution; Wind
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.09.033

Characteristics of drift and beaching of floating marine litter in the Japan Sea are examined numerically using the reanalysis data of the Japan Sea Forecasting System of Kyushu University. The residence time of model marine litter deployed uniformly over the surface of the Japan Sea strongly depends on the buoyancy ratio. However, almost all litter beaches or flows out through straits within 3years. Experiments with inputs of litter imposed at large cities and the Tsushima Straits as well as river basins of the Japan Sea exhibit a good agreement with beach surveys with regard to country ratios of beached litter along the Japanese coast in cases of lighters. In a case of lighter, almost all lighters originating from Japan beach along the Japanese coast, while almost all lighters originating from a country surrounding the Japan Sea except Japan beach along the coast of that country and the Japanese coast.