2018
DOI: 10.1002/2017gl076366
|View full text |Cite
|
Sign up to set email alerts
|

A Surface “Superconvergence” Pathway Connecting the South Indian Ocean to the Subtropical South Pacific Gyre

Abstract: We study the dispersion and convergence of marine floating material by surface currents from a model reanalysis that represents explicitly mesoscale eddy variability. Lagrangian experiments about the long‐term evolution (29 years) of an initially homogeneous concentration of particles are performed at global scale with horizontal current at one fourth degree resolution and refreshed daily over the 1985–2013 period. Results not only confirm and document the five known sites of surface convergence at the scale o… Show more

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...
3
1
1

Citation Types

1
45
0
1

Year Published

2019
2019
2024
2024

Publication Types

Select...
6

Relationship

0
6

Authors

Journals

citations
Cited by 47 publications
(47 citation statements)
references
References 30 publications
1
45
0
1
Order By: Relevance
“…In addition, results of numerical modeling studies predict inconsistent locations of a SIO garbage patch. Some model results show increased plastic concentrations in the center and toward the east of the SIO (Kubota et al, ; Lebreton et al, ; Maes et al, ), whereas others show an increase toward the west (Maximenko et al, ; van Sebille et al, ). Maes et al () recently also pointed out this inconsistency, but it has not yet been explained.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
See 1 more Smart Citation
“…In addition, results of numerical modeling studies predict inconsistent locations of a SIO garbage patch. Some model results show increased plastic concentrations in the center and toward the east of the SIO (Kubota et al, ; Lebreton et al, ; Maes et al, ), whereas others show an increase toward the west (Maximenko et al, ; van Sebille et al, ). Maes et al () recently also pointed out this inconsistency, but it has not yet been explained.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Some model results show increased plastic concentrations in the center and toward the east of the SIO (Kubota et al, ; Lebreton et al, ; Maes et al, ), whereas others show an increase toward the west (Maximenko et al, ; van Sebille et al, ). Maes et al () recently also pointed out this inconsistency, but it has not yet been explained. Because several of the largest estimated coastal (Jambeck et al, ) and riverine (Lebreton et al, ; Schmidt et al, ) sources of plastics enter the IO, this is a relevant region to study.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The mean position of the subtropical anticyclone is overplotted as a thick red line that corresponds to the 1018 hPa isobar as derived from the NCEP2 atmospheric reanalysis (see Section 2 for details). Mean surface current explains why marine litter accumulates in certain regions at very long timescales (Maes et al, ), whereas transient currents that superimpose on the mean circulation, like those associated with eddies, can enhance the accumulation rate by sporadically diverting marine litter from its mean trajectory or by creating local recirculation in the neighbourhood of an island. This is why we propose that mean EKE, which measures the activity of transient currents such as those associated with eddies, should also be considered for the interpretation of marine litter density data…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Over longer timescales (>5 years), AML tends to accumulate in the subtropical gyres corresponding to regions of relatively weak mean currents (owing to the surrounding large‐scale convergence; Maes et al, ), and transient small‐scale currents are in general more energetic relative to the mean flow, which can yield transport of AML through mesoscale to sub‐mesoscale activity. At these scales, such transport can be interpreted as a diffusive process of AML concentrations in the vicinity of the garbage patch regions, and therefore can be viewed also as a pathway by which MPAs located close to the subtropical gyres can be further contaminated.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
See 1 more Smart Citation