RELATIONS BETWEEN MARINE PLASTIC LITTER AND RIVER PLUMES: FIRST RESULTS OF PLUMPLAS PROJECT

Abstract

We report here first and preliminary results of the PLUMPLAS Project - an ongoing international joint research effort between Federal University of Rio Grande (Brazil), Xiamen University (China), and P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (Russia) developed within science and technology cooperation initiative (STI) between BRICS countries. The studies are focused on specific model regions representing different conditions of river discharges and anthropogenic loads, namely, the areas adjacent to the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea (Russia); the region of the Patos Lagoon mouth in the South Atlantic (Brazil); and Jiulong river estuary in Xiamen (China). The working hypothesis being tested is as follows: the floating plastic litter in the coastal ocean is mainly concentrated in the river plumes associated with continental freshwater discharges, and its dynamics is largely controlled by the dynamics of the plumes. The preliminary results of in situ observations and modeling accomplished to date seem to be in line with this hypothesis.