Articles | Volume 22, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-777-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-777-2026
Research article
 | 
06 Mar 2026
Research article |  | 06 Mar 2026

Tracking marine debris in Northwest Spain: assessing wind influence with a Lagrangian transport model

Martiño Rial-Osorio, Vicente Pérez-Muñuzuri, and Sara Cloux

Cited articles

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Campuzano, F., Brito, D., Juliano, M., Fernandes, R., de Pablo, H., and Neves, R.: Coupling watersheds, estuaries and regional ocean through numerical modelling for Western Iberia: a novel methodology, Ocean Dynamics, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-016-1005-4, 2016. a
Carlson, D. F., Suaria, G., Aliani, S., Fredj, E., Fortibuoni, T., Griffa, A., Russo, A., and Melli, V.: Combining litter observations with a regional ocean model to identify sources and sinks of floating debris in a semi-enclosed basin: The Adriatic Sea, Frontiers in Marine Science, , https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2017.00078, 2017. a
Carretero, O., Gago, J., Filgueiras, A. V., and Viñas, L.: The seasonal cycle of micro and meso-plastics in surface waters in a coastal environment (Ría de Vigo, NW Spain), Science of the Total Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150021, 2022. a
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Short summary
We used the MOHID-Lagrangian model to simulate the transport and accumulation of floating debris in the Ría de Arousa (2018–2023). Two-dimensional surface simulations with windage coefficients of 1 %, 3 %, and 5 % represented different debris types. Seasonal and spatial patterns were analyzed using a high-resolution grid and 242 shoreline segments to assess wind and seasonal effects on debris distribution and retention.
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