Publications des scientifiques de l'IRD

Maes Christophe, Blanke B. (2015). Tracking the origins of plastic debris across the Coral Sea : a case study from the Ouvéa Island, New Caledonia. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 97 (1-2), p. 160-168. ISSN 0025-326X.

Titre du document
Tracking the origins of plastic debris across the Coral Sea : a case study from the Ouvéa Island, New Caledonia
Année de publication
2015
Type de document
Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:000360417800028
Auteurs
Maes Christophe, Blanke B.
Source
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2015, 97 (1-2), p. 160-168 ISSN 0025-326X
Contamination of the marine environment by human-made plastic litter is a growing and global problem. Our study attempts to explain the presence of two plastic bottles beached on the Ouvéa Island, in the southwest Pacific Ocean, with trademarks from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (PNG). We simulate the oceanic drift tracks and associated transit times with a Lagrangian interpretation of the surface currents of a high-resolution ocean model. Our results show that it takes less than 2-3 months for drifting objects to connect these archipelagos (New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and PNG) and highlight the role of the meridional component of the circulation rather than the dominant zonal jets. This study shows that the origin or traceability of trash represent valuable information that can be used to test and, ultimately, improve our understanding of ocean circulation.
Plan de classement
Dynamique des eaux [032DYNEAU] ; Pollution océanique [038POLOCE]
Descripteurs
ARCHIPEL ; MILIEU MARIN ; POLLUTION MARINE ; OBJET ; TRANSPORT ; CIRCULATION OCEANIQUE ; COURANT MARIN ; CIRCULATION ZONALE ; VITESSE ; MODELISATION
Description Géographique
NOUVELLE CALEDONIE ; OUVEA ; MER DE CORAIL
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010065122]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010065122
Contact